FYI from the NHLBI Index
May 2010: Vol. 11, Issue 1 In the News
News from Capitol Hill
News from Capitol Hill
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Becomes Law
On March 23, 2010 the President signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148).
The new law, which makes major changes to the U.S. health care system, contains a number of provisions relevant to the
NIH and the NHLBI. For example:
- The law authorizes the NHLBI Director to expand, intensify, and coordinate congenital heart disease research and
requires the NHLBI Director to consider the application of congenital heart disease research to minority and medically
underserved communities.
- The law prohibits health insurers from denying an individual access to an approved clinical trial and requires
that routine patient costs be covered. Approved clinical trials are those approved or funded by certain government
agencies, including the NIH.
- A non-profit institute called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) will be established to set
research priorities and a research agenda. PCORI will conduct or support comparative effectiveness research and set
all the related research parameters. NIH will be a member of the Board of Governors and Methodology Committee.
House and Senate Resolutions Highlight the Year of the Lung
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies has declared 2010 “The Year of the Lung” and Congress
has recognized the Year with two resolutions. On February 26, 2010, a resolution (H. Res. 1122) was introduced
supporting the goals and ideals of “The Year of the Lung.” On March 3, 2010, a similar resolution was
introduced in the Senate (S. Res. 432).
Please send us your feedback, comments, and questions by using the appropriate link on the page, Contact the NHLBI.
Note to users of screen readers and other assistive technologies: please report your problems here.
Contents | Feature
Articles | In the News | Events and Meetings | Research and Resources
All Issues | FYI Index | NHLBI Express
|