2010-01-21

Massachusetts Election Jeopardizes Future of Health Overhaul Legislation
Scott Brown's victory in the special election to fill the late Senator Edward Kennedy's Senate seat means that the Democrats no longer have the 60-person majority that could block united Republican opposition to health reform. However, the Democrats still have a significant majority in both the House and Senate, and the Democratic leadership has said they still plan to pass health reform. Read more.

ASH Urges Inclusion of Clinical Trials Coverage Provision in Final Health Reform Bill
As congressional leaders continue efforts to reach a final agreement on health reform legislation, ASH has joined with a number of organizations to send a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) urging the inclusion of a provision to require coverage of routine patient costs associated with clinical trial participation in the final bill. Read more.

ASH Comments on NHLBI's New FY 2010 Payline Schedule
ASH submitted comments to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on the recent announcement "Funding Strategies for Translating NIH Peer Review Changes Into Funding Policies" that contains the new FY 2010 payline schedule for A0 (new submission), A1, and A2 (resubmission) applications. Read more.

ASH Continues Efforts to Restore Payment for Medicare Consult Codes and to Support Hematologists
On January 12, ASH and other physician organizations sent a letter to Congress urging support for legislation to delay for one year the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' decision to eliminate payments for consult codes. Read more.

ASH Commends HHS for the Development of the Proposed Healthy People 2020 Objectives on Blood Disorders and Blood Safety
ASH commends the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for developing 18 new Healthy People (HP) 2020 Proposed Objectives on Blood Disorders and Blood Safety. The purpose of the HP process is to identify health priorities for the nation and set objectives to be achieved at the end of every decade. This marks the first time hematology-related objectives have ever been included in the HP process. The final HP 2020 objectives will be released later in 2010 along with guidance for achieving the new 10-year targets.

NIH Announces FY 2010 Policy for Grant Awards
In response to the final fiscal year FY 2010 funding levels enacted in December, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a notice concerning its Fiscal Operations Plan for FY 2010. Read more.

President Obama Set to Unveil Proposed FY 2011 Budget in February
President Obama is expected to release his FY 2011 budget proposal, including proposed funding for NIH, in early February. As has occurred over the past several years, it is expected that the President's proposal will provide only a slight increase in funding for NIH, making grassroots support for NIH funding critical to gaining any traction in the congressional budget process. Please continue to visit the ASH Web site for updates on the FY 2011 budget process and information about how members can contact their Senators and Representative to generate interest in increasing NIH funding in FY 2011.

Register Today for the National Conference on Blood Disorders in Public Health
ASH, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Blood Disorders, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, are hosting the first National Conference on Blood Disorders in Public Health on March 9-11, 2010, in Atlanta, GA. The purpose of this conference is to serve as the catalyst for developing a nationally recognized public-health framework for promoting the health of and improving outcomes among people at risk for or affected by a non-malignant blood disorder. To learn more and register today, visit the conference Web site.

NIH Office of Extramural Research Releases January 2010 Newsletter
The NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) has released its January 2010 newsletter, which includes information on OER's surveys seeking input from the research community about changes to the peer-review process through the Enhancing Peer Review initiative. Read more.