As we get ready to welcome the 113th Congress to Capitol Hill in January, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all of the activity that took place on key heart and stroke issues this year. In a tough economic environment, You’re the Cure advocates, like you, helped play critical defense to protect funding and programs that support our shared mission of building healthier lives.
We’re also proud to report that over 34,000 new grassroots advocates joined You’re the Cure this year, making our unified voice that much stronger in our communities, our states, and in the nation’s capital. And what a noise we made! Advocates took over 350,000 actions this year, from sending emails and making phone calls, to attending events and meeting with lawmakers, and more.
Thank you for your hard work to influence Congress in 2012. We’re excited to make even more progress in 2013!
2012 Action |
What’s next? |
Congress has yet to extend the Medicare Therapy Caps exceptions process, which is critical to ensuring stroke patients on Medicare are able to access and afford the physical, speech and occupational therapies they need. |
The coverage caps on rehabilitation services will kick in on January 1st, unless Congress passes an extension of the exceptions process by the end of the year. Tell your legislators immediate action is needed for Medicare stroke patients now! |
A key provision of the HEART for Women Act was signed into law earlier this year as part of a larger bill extending funding for the Food and Drug Administration! |
The new law requires the FDA to report on how new prescription drugs and medical devices work for women and minorities and to develop an action plan for improving participation in research. Watch for the FDA’s report and action plan in the next 18 months. |
The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act and key patient-protections continued to take effect. |
As implementation continues toward 2014, when several key provisions will take effect, the AHA will continue to work to ensure the needs of heart & stroke patients are being met. Learn more about what the law means for you. |
The fate of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) remains undecided, with the House and Senate yet to reach an agreement on the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. |
As Congress’ work to pass a Farm Bill continues in the 113th Congress, so does our work to protect the FFVP and other nutrition programs from being cut or altered. Take action in support of fruits and veggies in schools. |
As the Federal government works to negotiate a deal to address the current fiscal situation, funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) prevention programs, and the Rural and Community AED program remains in jeopardy. |
If Congress and the President fail to stop automatic across-the-board funding cuts (aka: the ‘sequester’) by the end of the year, research and prevention programs will be cut by 8.2%. Speak-up today to help prevent cuts! The President will submit his 2014 budget to Congress in February, from which Congress will negotiate an appropriations bill. Stay tuned for opportunities to act. |
Programs that support walking amd biking in communities, like Safe Routes to School, took a big hit in the Transportation Bill passed and signed into law. Loopholes now exist that allow states to use previously dedicated walking and biking funding for other transportation projects. |
Communities around the country are now hard at work to ensure that funding is provided for walking and biking projects as the law is implemented. The Transportation Bill will need to be renewed in two years, presenting an opportunity to regain dedicated funding for bike and pedestrian initiatives. |
Big Tobacco’s efforts to get cigars exempted from the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products bill did not succeed this year. |
The bill could come up again in the 113th Congress. We’ll need your help to continue to keep the pressure on Congress to reject efforts to exempt any tobacco products from the FDA’s regulation authority. |
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