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U.S. Government Relations | |
Diabetes
is a chronic condition that requires continuous medical care and education throughout an entire lifetime. A study conducted by Lewin-VHI concluded that U.S. health care expenditures for people with diabetes exceed US$130 billion per year--one out of every seven dollars spent on health care in the United States.Through research advances we will prevent and cure diabetes and its devastating complications, saving millions of lives and billions of dollars. The investment Congress and the Executive Branch have made in diabetes research has not only led to substantial progress towards a cure for diabetes, but also has led to the identification of preventive measures and improved treatments for the debilitating and costly complications associated with this disease. Some of the extraordinary breakthroughs that have been achieved with federal research dollars include:
The public and private sector support for biomedical research must be expanded if health care quality is to be advanced and costs contained. In short, an increased federal commitment to biomedical research funding--in particular to basic research--must be an integral component of any serious effort to contain federal spending in the future. There is a myriad of data supporting the conclusion that an investment in health research yields monumental savings in costs of health treatment.
The value of biomedical research goes far beyond our ability to cure devastating diseases and save billions of dollars in health costs. The American biotechnology industry is one of the fastest growing components of the U.S. economy and is critical to our status as a global leader and a competitive player in the exploding technological field. But a lack of adequate federal funding for biomedical research jeopardizes the viability of this promising sector of our economy. In addition, insufficient federal resources for biomedical research will jeopardize the vitality of our workforce of young researchers, persuading young scientists and physicians to opt for alternative careers rather than careers in medical research.
Finally, much of the medical research currently funded through the National Institutes of Health would not be conducted with a diminished federal commitment. Private industry, which funds a great deal of applied and clinical research, would find basic research too risky an enterprise since there are no assurances that it will produce a marketable product or procedure. We know from experience that the precise path of medical discovery cannot be predicted; research leads, which must be pursued as they develop, occasionally result in dead ends but more often create new questions to be explored. Indeed, basic research in one area can fortuitously lead to advances in others, and must be advanced through federal support.
For more information, write to:
JDF Government Relations
1400 I Street, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
E-mail: govrel@jdfcure.com
Copyright © 1996 Juvenile Diabetes
Foundation International. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The BETA SOCIETY, COUNTDOWN, CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT DIABETES,
THE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION, JDF, JUVENILE DIABETES
FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL, THE ONLY REMEDY IS A CURE, WALK FOR THE
CURE, 1-800-JDF-CURE and 1-800-WALK-JDF are Trademarks and
Service marks of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International.
E-mail comments to info@jdfcure.com
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
The Diabetes Research Foundation
120 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005-4001
800-JDF-CURE
212-785-9500
Fax 212-785-9595
