ADA Urges Congress to Up Federal Funding for Diabetes Research & Prevention
Posted Dec 18 2008 8:13pm
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) this week called on Congress to increase federal funding for diabetes research and prevention, pass stem cell legislation and protect diabetes health coverage -- changes that could help reverse the increase in diabetes prevalence and reduce the nationwide burden of diabetes and its complications on the healthcare system.
The ADA -- the U.S.'s leading voluntary health organization that supports diabetes research, information and advocacy -- also pointed out something of which I daresay many Americans are unaware.
Despite the growing diabetes epidemic, last year, Congress passed a budget to cut federal funding for diabetes research and prevention for the first time.
Wait, there's more.
The Bush Administration's proposed budget, recently announced, would further cut funding for diabetes research and prevention at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Seriously, why would Congress choose to cut back on funding at a time when diabetes is soaring out of control?
What is more important than the health of our nation's children and adults?
FYI, in its announcement, the ADA rattled off the new figure of which many are unaware (and which I wrote about recently ). Recently, the number of Americans with diabetes has surged considerably. Now nearly 21 million Americans have the disease; back in 2003, 18.2 million people had it.
Even more scary:
The cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2002 was at least $132 billion.
One of every 3 Americans born in 2000 and one of every two minorities, will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
Let me repeat and rephrase this: Given those horrifying figures and the growing diabetes epidemic, would someone please explain to me -- as the ADA rightly pointed out -- why last year Congress chose to cut federal funding for diabetes research and prevention for the first time?
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) this week called on Congress to increase federal funding for diabetes research and prevention, pass stem cell legislation and protect diabetes health coverage -- changes that could help reverse the increase in diabetes prevalence and reduce the nationwide burden of diabetes and its complications on the healthcare system.
The ADA -- the U.S.'s leading voluntary health organization that supports diabetes research, information and advocacy -- also pointed out something of which I daresay many Americans are unaware.
Despite the growing diabetes epidemic, last year, Congress passed a budget to cut federal funding for diabetes research and prevention for the first time.
Wait, there's more.
The Bush Administration's proposed budget, recently announced, would further cut funding for diabetes research and prevention at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Seriously, why would Congress choose to cut back on funding at a time when diabetes is soaring out of control?
What is more important than the health of our nation's children and adults?
FYI, in its announcement, the ADA rattled off the new figure of which many are unaware (and which I wrote about recently ). Recently, the number of Americans with diabetes has surged considerably. Now nearly 21 million Americans have the disease; back in 2003, 18.2 million people had it.
Even more scary:
One of every 3 Americans born in 2000 and one of every two minorities, will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
Let me repeat and rephrase this: Given those horrifying figures and the growing diabetes epidemic, would someone please explain to me -- as the ADA rightly pointed out -- why last year Congress chose to cut federal funding for diabetes research and prevention for the first time?