Academy Health is the rather oddly named society for health services researchers. They sent me a press release which I excerpt:
Today, the House Appropriations Committee released a breathtakingly reckless bill that decimates federal research, science, and medicine programs, and puts the health of all Americans at risk. It is so extreme that many pundits presume it has zero chance of becoming law, but that very extremism requires that we respond quickly and unequivocally. . . .
"This bill would eliminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in its entirety. AHRQ supports research to improve health care quality, reduce costs, advance patient safety, decrease medical errors, and broaden access to essential services. Over 150 organizations through the Friends of AHRQ made the case crystal clear – we need more support for this research to meet these challenging times. These organizations represented every corner of the health care world – patients, providers, nurses, hospitals, insurers, health systems, universities, think tanks, and more – emphasizing how noncontroversial it is that we produce the best evidence on how to deliver the best care equitably.
“As rural patients struggle with health care access as their hospitals close and doctors move further away, AHRQ has been a close partner for them. AHRQ formally recognizes rural Americans as a priority health group and focuses on identifying drivers of poor health outcomes, finding connections through telehealth, and tackling the opioid epidemic. Instead of working with AHRQ as it pioneers novel projects and programs for rural Americans, this bill abolishes AHRQ altogether.
“But this bill is not just about eliminating AHRQ, it is also slashing the innovation that makes America competitive and that eliminates health disparities faced by patients for racial, ethnic, geographic, gender, or socioeconomic reasons. It cuts the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) by two thirds. It burns through CDC at a time when we need to be building capacity – eliminating funding for Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research, Tobacco Prevention and Control, Ending the HIV Epidemic initiatives. At a time when public health agencies are calling for more data modernization, it cuts the Public Health Data Modernization program by over 40 percent. It eliminates programs that support needed diversity in the healthcare workforce. It cuts the Office of Minority Health by two thirds.
Why are they doing this? What is the constituency for it? I can answer that but it's a bit complicated. Our medical institution is in big trouble. You see the reference in the press release to hospitals closing and a serious shortage of health care resources in rural areas, but there's much more to it than that. As private equity firms and giant corporations buy up physician practices all over the country, medicine is increasingly driven solely by profit, and physicians are less and less able to treat their patients as human beings and effectively meet their needs. AHRQ funds research that documents health outcomes and develops approaches to providing medical services that improve the nation's health and quality of life. The capitalists who increasingly run the system and fund Republican politicians don't want us to know the truth. Tobacco companies and firearm manufacturers don't want to fund tobacco control or firearm safety. None of these billionaire donors to the Republican party want data systems that will let the American people know the truth about the health and well being of the nation, because we might want to do something about it.
That's your Republican party.
6 comments:
This perfidy is devastating.
Cervantes,
I didn't see a link or even the name of the bill in your post or even in the link you provided (did I just miss it?).
And it's great that the letter has characterized it for me saving me lots of time making a decision for myself.
However, I did look into the history of this agency and it appears it was one of the agencies that the Trump administration had proposed to merge with the National Institute of Health.
I suspect there may be more to the story.
The "Republican Party" of today's USA is straight out of Animal Farm: Voting to give themselves pay raises in the House of Reps while slashing social spending.
Fuckers. As a party (not as humans), they must die. They are the epitome of mindless, soulless corruption. It is a tragedy that my African American friends have been shit on by this land for 400 years to the extent that they feel there's "no difference" between the parties.
That's like saying there's "no difference" between eating chipped beef on toast and eating cat shit. But I understand their perspective. It is tragic that anyone, anywhere believes that there is no difference between the party that has genuflected to the murderous MAGA cult and a party that wants to give real freedom to Americans -- not take it away.
I can't fucking wait for Shitler to drop dead.
When it's all said and done, these government health agencies (and there's a few of them) have done a terrible job over the years. As you've pointed out, healthcare delivery systems are more expensive than most other developed nations. Bottom line is I don't think they're worth the money.
Might try a different approach such as flooding the market with physicians by making it easier to build and license medical schools, stop medical practices that serve only to enrich the physicians such as referral to rehab and other institutions in which they have a financial interest. Might even study how other countries can deliver quality care at the lower cost.
Unhinged: Yes, the dumpster did propose to merge AHRQ with NIH but without sending along the budget, i.e. effectively eliminating the agency. This bill does the same thing. It's only the form of the bill currently before the House, so we'll see what happens as it goes through the sausage factory.
SD: Yes, our health care system is more expensive, but it's not because of anything AHRQ has done. AHRQ and its grantees document the problem, they don't cause it. It's caused by policies that originate with congress, and specifically organization of our system around profit. AHRQ generates knowledge, it doesn't make public policy.
Cervantes,
In physics there is what's known as "The arrow of time" where the math theoretically should work both ways, but it doesn't. Time goes in one direction.
I get the same feeling with the growth of government bureaus...that even though there may be great overlap because of the piecemeal way this labyrinth was created, there can never be consideration of reform or consolidation. It's the arrow of government. Always more, always bigger.
I'd feel better is once, JUST ONCE, those in power would find one, JUST ONE bureau that was deemed providing duplicate services and no longer needed.
I think it's all about the Benjamins.
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