The document summarizes the inaugural meeting of AcademyHealth's Advocacy Interest Group. It discusses AcademyHealth's role in advocacy, current threats to health services research funding from budget cuts, and how the Interest Group can help cultivate grassroots support and participation in advocacy efforts like annual Hill Day visits. The group's chair, Lou Rossiter, hopes it will plan advocacy events at the Annual Research Meeting and host webinars to further advocacy goals.

1. Inaugural Advocacy Interest
Group Meeting
J une 25, 2012

2. We Can’t Do It Alone
 AcademyHealth promotes HSR in the
nation’s capital
 Advocacy is a team sport
 The users and producers of HSR are
the best advocates
 AcademyHealth will provide the tools
you need to be an effective advocate

3. Goal: Advocates and Ambassadors
 By the end of today’s meeting, you will
know:
– How AcademyHealth engages in advocacy
– How the Advocacy Interest Group will
bolster these efforts
– What we’re facing in Washington
 You will be prepared to share your
knowledge and recruit other advocates

4. Workshop Overview
 Advocacy at AcademyHealth
–The Role of the Interest
Group
 The Current Policy Environment
– A Time of Uncertainty
 Discussion & Next Steps

5. Recent History
 Advocacy previously through separate
Coalition for Health Services Research
 October 2011 AcademyHealth Board
conducted assessment of relationship
 December 2012 voted to consolidate
advocacy into AcademyHealth
– Established Committee on Advocacy and
Public Policy (CAPP)

6. Our Advocacy Principles
 Advocate for science policy
 Monitor the environment for trends
important to members, stand to shape
field through policy change
 Engage our members, affiliates,
partners
 Collaborate to inform priorities and
respond to community’s needs

7. Our Advocacy Priorities
 Increasing federal funding for HSR
– Balance in what is funded, who is funded,
and how its funded
 Building a robust environment to
produce HSR
– Preserve scientific integrity, protect human
subjects, enhance data availability
 Enhancing HSR dissemination, use

8. Interest Group’s Goals
 AcademyHealth’s IGs provide forum for
interaction around shared interests
 Advocacy IG will cultivate “grassroots”
community by:
– Planning and facilitating annual “advocacy
institute” at ARM
– Hosting 1-2 advocacy webinars per year
– Participating in annual “Hill Day”
 Lou Rossiter to serve as first chair

9. Workshop Overview
 Advocacy at AcademyHealth
– The Role of the Interest Group
 The Current Policy Environment
– A Time of Uncertainty
 Discussion & Next Steps

10. HSR Funding: Survival Mode
 HHS funding reduced by 5% since
FY10, on average
– AHRQ base cut 8%since FY10
– AHRQ cut 40% accounting for lost
Recovery Act capacity
– NIH roughly flat funded; 25% accounting
for Recovery Act

11. HSR Funding: Survival Mode
 Affordable Care Act funding helps
backfill AHRQ cuts
– Patient –Centered Outcomes Research
Transfer
• $24 million in FY12; $62 million in FY13 to
AHRQ
– Prevention and Public Health Fund
• $12 million to AHRQ annually since FY10
• $35 million to NCHS annually since FY 11

12. HSR Funding: FY13 Outlook
 Senate spending bill preserves public
health, research funding
– AHRQ base cut 1.5%...but…
• President requested 9.5% cut
• PCOR Fund used to supplement, not supplant
• $43 mil for grants; President cut by $20 mil
• All AcademyHealth report language included
 NCHS flat funded
 NIH increased $100 million

13. HSR Funding: FY13 Outlook
 House spending bill expected to gut
public health, research funding
 House FY12 proposal…
– Increased NIH by $1 billion but
– Rescinded all Affordable Care Act funding
– Cut AHRQ by 13 percent
 House FY13 allocation $8 billion less
than Senate

14. Other Threats
 SCOTUS ruling June 28ish
– Could impact PCORI, Prevention Fund,
Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Innovation
 Election
– Republican trifecta would repeal (and
replace?) Affordable Care Act
 Sequestration!

15. Budget Control Act
 Two-phase debt ceiling increase
– Phase 1: $900 billion through end of 2011
– Phase 2: $1.2-$1.5 trillion through
November 2012
 Increases contingent upon offsets
– Phase 1 offset: discretionary caps over
decade
• FY 2013 capped at $1.047 trillion
– Phase 2 offset: determined by
“supercommittee”

16. Budget Control Act
 Bicameral, bipartisan committee to
identify $1.5 trillion in savings
 If Congress does not enact, sequester
takes effect January 2013
– Across the board spending cuts of 8 – 12
percent
– Social Security, Medicaid, and low-income
support programs exempt

17. The Price of Failure
 Across-the-board cuts in 2013
 $984 billion cut over 10 years, or $109
billion annually
 Cuts equally divided between defense
and non-defense

18. The Fiscal Cliff
 Continuing resolution(s)/omnibus
– House lowers nondefense discretionary by $27 billion,
despite bipartisan Budget Control Act
 Sequester
– Is threat to defense spending enough to force meaningful
deficit reduction plan?
 Bush tax cuts expire
 “Extenders” package expires
– Unemployment benefits, payroll tax holiday, Medicare
physician payment fix
 Debt ceiling

19. We Need Your Voice
 AcademyHealth working with
community to avert sequestration
 Members of Congress need to hear
from you:
– Sequester is unacceptable
– Research is important, core gov’t function
– Balanced approach to deficit reduction
 AcademyHealth will share tools to
help you