We rely on your voice to advocate for our policy priorities. Join us to show our strength as a community that cares about endocrinology. Throughout the year, you will have the opportunity to participate in campaigns that support endocrinology research, care, professionals, and patients. Contact us to get more involved: advocacy@endocrine.org.
Funding for the Special Diabetes Program will end on September 30 unless Congress passes legislation to reauthorize the program. SDP is a federal program comprised of two components – the Special Diabetes Program for Type 1 Diabetes and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians. Congress created these programs in 1997 to advance research for type 1 diabetes at the NIDDK and to provide treatment and education programs for type 2 diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Despite SDP’s success and strong bipartisan support, the program is in jeopardy. It is critical that members of Congress hear from you, the constituent, about the importance of reauthorizing the Special Diabetes Program.
Congress is beginning the process of determining funding for the National Institutes of Health in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This will affect all researchers who receive grant funding from NIH. There is a lot of pressure coming from certain groups within Congress to cut funding significantly for all programs, including NIH. This is why the Endocrine Society needs all NIH-funded endocrine researchers to help us prevent funding cuts and advocate for increased funding. The Endocrine Society is urging Congress to provide $51 billion for the NIH base budget, which is a 7.3% increase over FY 2023. Our number reflects a 2.3% increase to account for biomedical inflation plus a 5% increase in real growth. To ensure increased funding for the NIH, it is critical that your Representative and Senators hear from you about this issue.
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. The law caps insulin’s out-of-pocket costs at $35 a month for people with Medicare, which will make insulin more affordable for the millions of people enrolled in the program. However, the Inflation Reduction Act did not include a similar provision for people under 65 and insulin remains unaffordable for the millions of people with private insurance. The Endocrine Society is urging Congress to pass legislation that would cap insulin at $35/month for people with private insurance. It’s imperative that you – the constituent – remind your Senators that addressing insulin affordability is a top priority.
Read our newsletters covering the latest science-based information on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) for policymakers in the European Union.
