Funding for Cures Bill Remains Sticking Point for Health Groups
- Plan to pay for bill includes cuts to prevention funds
- House vote expected Wednesday on drug, device innovation bill
This article is for subscribers only.
U.S. lawmakers finally reached an agreement on legislation to fund cancer research and accelerate new drugs to market. But the plan to pay for the proposal remains a sticking point for some health groups.
The $6.3 billion bill, known as the 21st Century Cures Act, gets more than half its funding by revoking $3.5 billion over 10 years that was supposed to go to a pot of money established under Obamacare to help prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes, increase vaccine use, and raise awareness about the harm caused by tobacco.