Context: 

The following statement came from AcademyHealth regarding a bill in the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee that would terminate funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) beginning October 1, 2012. 

The bill would also:

• prohibit funding to patient-centered outcomes research, extending cuts to any federal agency in the subcommittee's jurisdiction, including the National Institutes of Health;
• end funding for the Affordable Care Act's prevention fund;
• cut funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 10 percent;
• and cuts funding for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration by nine percent.

AcademyHealth, which represents health services research, called the bill "a devastating attack on health services research funding," They urged members to defend and preserve research funding by calling their representatives and telling them to vote 'no' on the bill. 

The organization pointed out that 42 percent of respondents to a 2006 AcademyHealth survey said they receive research support from AHRQ, and many, many more have expanded their skills and research capacity through AHRQ's training programs.

Others have spoken out on this issue, including National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems.

Full Press Release: 

On Tuesday, July 17, the House Appropriations Committee posted online the proposed, fiscal year (FY) 2013 spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies, available here: http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-112hr-sc-ap-fy13-laborhhsed.pdf

This bill is a devastating attack on health services research funding.

Among the many cuts to public health programs and policy riders, the bill “terminates” the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Sec. 223), zeroing out its budget entirely. This is the first such attack on AHRQ funding in nearly two decades.

AHRQ funds research and programs at local universities, hospitals, and health departments that improve health care quality, enhance consumer choice, advance patient safety, improve efficiency, reduce medical errors, and broaden access to essential services. It is a major funder for the work of our field. In a 2006 survey of AcademyHealth members, 42 percent of respondents reported receiving research support from AHRQ. Many, many more have expanded their skills and research capacity through AHRQ’s training programs and professional development opportunities. 

But AHRQ is not the only target. The bill also prohibits funding for patient-centered outcomes research (Sec. 217). This PCOR prohibition would extend to ANY federal agency in the subcommittee’s jurisdiction, including the National Institutes of Health (the Veterans Health Administration would not be subject to the provision, as their budget is in another subcommittee’s jurisdiction). NIH funding otherwise remains unchanged, but funding for CDC and SAMHSA are cut by 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

We must act to defend and preserve research funding.

While we continue to review the bill, in the absence of a comprehensive analysis we feel its severe impact on health services research warrants an immediate response. As the leading national organization representing the field of health services research, we believe it is critical that we respond quickly and declaratively to this attack on research. 

Currently, the Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy is preparing a statement of opposition to the Subcommittee, highlighting the value of HSR and the potential impact of these cuts. We will share this statement with our members and partners as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, we urge you to act locally to defend research funding. Now is the time to reach out to your Representatives and tell them that health services research, and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, must be protected.

Please review the list below; if your elected official serves on the appropriations committee (those in Bold below are Subcommittee members), please urge them to vote “no” on this bill by calling the Capitol Hill operator at 202-225-3121 and asking for your representative's office. Ask to speak to speak to the health legislative or appropriations assistant. Do not leave a message with the receptionist other than to have the health aide call you back.

If you’re not sure who your elected official is, please click here and enter your zip code.

At a time of limited resources and complex challenges in health care, our leaders need reliable, unbiased data on what works, and what doesn’t, like never before. Health services research provides many of those answers. Join us as we work to ensure the this important research will be available when it is needed.

Republican Members

Harold Rogers, Kentucky, Chairman
C.W. Bill Young, Florida
Jerry Lewis, California
Frank R. Wolf, Virginia
Jack Kingston, Georgia
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, New Jersey
Tom Latham, Iowa
Robert B. Aderholt, Alabama
Jo Ann Emerson, Missouri
Kay Granger, Texas
Michael K. Simpson, Idaho
John Abney Culberson, Texas
Ander Crenshaw, Florida
Denny Rehberg, Montana (Subcommitee Chair)
John R. Carter, Texas
Rodney Alexander, Louisiana
Ken Calvert, California
Jo Bonner, Alabama
Steven C. LaTourette, Ohio
Tom Cole, Oklahoma
Jeff Flake, Arizona
Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida
Charles W. Dent, Pennsylvania
Steve Austria, Ohio
Cynthia M. Lummis, Wyoming
Tom Graves, Georgia
Kevin Yoder, Kansas
Steve Womack, Arkansas
Alan Nunnelee, Mississippi 

Democratic Members

Norman D. Dicks, Washington
Marcy Kaptur, Ohio
Peter J. Visclosky, Indiana
Nita M. Lowey, New York
José E. Serrano, New York
Rosa L. DeLauro, Connecticut (Subcommitte Ranking Member)
James P. Moran, Virginia
John W. Olver, Massachusetts
Ed Pastor, Arizona
David E. Price, North Carolina
Maurice D. Hinchey, New York
Lucille Roybal-Allard, California
Sam Farr, California
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Illinois
Chaka Fattah, Pennsylvania
Steven R. Rothman, New Jersey
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., Georgia
Barbara Lee, California
Adam B. Schiff, California
Michael M. Honda, California
Betty McCollum, Minnesota