EPILEPSY FOUNDATION

Health Issues

-Build Back Better Act, support $400 billion for Medicaid home- and community-based services; addressing affordability of health insurance premiums; creating an out-of-pocket cap in Medicare Part D with smoothing mechanism; bar use of discriminatory quality-adjusted life year (QALY) in prescription drug legislation; preserving the Orphan Drug Tax Credit; creating a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program; adding vision, dental, and hearing coverage to Medicare; raising asset limits and other improvements to supplemental security income; expanding low-income subsidies in Medicare. -Ensure access to medications in emergencies in pandemic preparedness legislation. -HCBS Access Act, support development of legislation that would make Medicaid HCBS mandatory, end the waiting list, enhance HCBS services, and provide proper support to the direct support workforce. -S. 464/H.R. 2163, Safe Step Act, support passage. -S. 253, Marihuana Research Expansion Act and Medical Marijuana Research Act, support passage. -Identify and make recommendations on improvements to federal law for access to medical cannabis and medical cannabis products. -Support creation of a Neuroscience Center of Excellence at the FDA.

TargetedSENATE · HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)

Budget/Appropriations

-H.R. 4502, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022, support funding for epilepsy programs and research including $13 million for the CDCs Epilepsy program, $46.1 billion for the NIH and $5 million for the National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System. -H.R.4355, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022, support $13 million for the VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence. -H.R. 4356, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022, support robust funding for the Food & Drug Administration. -H.R. 4432, Defense Appropriations Act, 2022, support robust funding for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.