Regarding the AHCA MacArthur Amendment

In a piece by Tami Luhby, CNN Updated 2:37 PM ET, Thu April 27, 2017 (http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/27/politics/macarthur-amendment-ama-aha-aarp-obamacare/). It states, "The so-called MacArthur amendment, authored by moderate Rep. Tom MacArthur of New Jersey, would let states allow insurers to offer less comprehensive policies and to charge people more based on their health status. It would also let insurers hike premiums for those in their 50s and early 60s.

Obamacare's protections for those with pre-existing conditions are among the law's most popular measures. Republicans say they are not eroding those provisions, but health care experts and lobbyists beg to differ.

"Although the MacArthur amendment states that the ban on pre-existing conditions remains intact, this assurance may be illusory as health status underwriting could effectively make coverage completely unaffordable to people with preexisting conditions," the AMA wrote in a letter Thursday to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

AARP slammed the amendment, saying it would put in place "backdoor cuts" to the protections and would create an "age tax."

"This harmful legislation still puts an Age Tax on older Americans and puts vulnerable populations at risk through a series of backdoor deals that attempts to shift responsibility to states," the influential lobbying group said in a statement Wednesday. "Older Americans need affordable health care services and prescriptions. This legislation still goes in the opposite direction, increasing insurance premiums for older Americans and not doing anything to lower drug costs."

Letter to Congressman Roger Marshall, MD

Support People Living with Chronic Conditions and Oppose the AHCA and MacArthur Amendment

Dear Congressman Roger Marshall,

As an individual with a chronic condition (Multiple Sclerosis) and a person with deep roots in the Kansas 1st Congressional District, I urge you to oppose the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the MacArthur amendment. While improvements to the healthcare system are needed, the AHCA and MacArthur are a step backward and will negatively impact access, affordability, and comprehensiveness--which are all vital to people with chronic medical conditions.

Specific concerns include:

- The loss of coverage by more than 24 million people by 2026;

- Phasing out Medicaid expansion and changing Medicaid's financing structure to a per capita cap which would likely lead to service and/or population cuts;

- Reliance on high-risk pools that have historically not adequately served people with chronic conditions;

- Making the tax credits age-based; and repeal of the cost-sharing subsidies;

- Eliminating protections for people with pre-existing conditions;

- The nationwide standard of 'essential health benefits' could be lost, including required coverage for prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, rehabilitation, mental health services and more.

Access to coverage is meaningless if people are unable to afford the care they need. The AHCA's flat tax credits up to $4,000 per year based on age are significantly less than the actual cost of health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Repealing the cost-sharing subsidies in silver level Marketplace plans will add to the financial burdens of those most in need, and increase the likelihood that people with chronic conditions will stop taking their medicines or other treatments. The AHCA's 30% premium penalty to the cost of coverage for those unable to maintain continuous coverage for 63 days or more would interrupt treatment, putting people with chronic needs at risk.

If the bill comes for a vote, please oppose the American Health Care Act and the MacArthur amendment. We look forward to you helping improve access, affordability, and comprehensiveness--rather than taking a step backward.

Sincerely,

Letter to Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18)

Support People Living with MS and Oppose the AHCA and MacArthur Amendment

Dear Congressman Murphy,

As an MS activist, a National MS Society District Activist Leader, Inductee into the MS Society's Advocacy Hall of Fame and your constituent; I urge you to oppose the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the MacArthur amendment. While improvements to the healthcare system are needed, the AHCA and MacArthur are a step backward and will negatively impact access, affordability, and comprehensiveness--which are all vital to people with MS.

Specific concerns include:

- The loss of coverage by more than 24 million people by 2026;

- Phasing out Medicaid expansion and changing Medicaid's financing structure to a per capita cap which would likely lead to service and/or population cuts;

- Reliance on high-risk pools that have historically not adequately served people with chronic conditions;

- Making the tax credits age-based; and repeal of the cost-sharing subsidies;

- Eliminating protections for people with pre-existing conditions;

- The nationwide standard of 'essential health benefits' could be lost, including required coverage for prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, rehabilitation, mental health services and more.

Access to coverage is meaningless if people are unable to afford the care they need. The AHCA's flat tax credits up to $4,000 per year based on age are significantly less than the actual cost of health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Repealing the cost-sharing subsidies in silver level Marketplace plans will add to the financial burdens of those most in need, and increase the likelihood that people with MS will stop taking their medicines or other treatments. The AHCA's 30% premium penalty to the cost of coverage for those unable to maintain continuous coverage for 63 days or more would interrupt treatment, putting people with MS at risk of relapse and irreversible disability.

MS is a chronic, inflammatory immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system. It is among the most common causes of neurological disability in young adults. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, blindness, and paralysis. Untreated MS -- drug and other therapy for symptoms and relapses --  can progress more quickly, resulting in an early departure from the workforce, an undue strain on the family, finances, public and long-term services and supports, and more.

  

If the bill comes for a vote, please oppose the American Health Care Act and the MacArthur amendment. We look forward to working with you to improve access, affordability, and comprehensiveness--rather than taking a step backward.

Sincerely,

Protein ID'd Inside Cells During MS Inflamation

From the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Website

Novel Protein Identified Inside Cells During MS Inflammation May Help Explain Nerve Damage

April 27, 2017

Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada report that levels of Rab32 – a protein that directs traffic between cell organs – are increased in sites of active inflammation in brain tissue obtained from people with MS and in mouse models of MS-like disease. This increase was linked to the destruction of nerve cells. If the results are confirmed, this knowledge could explain part of the neurodegenerative process that leads to progression of disability in MS and could be a target for development of effective MS treatments.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Plays Role In Multiple Sclerosis Progression Dan Modano  April 25, 2017

A new cellular mechanism that may cause multiple sclerosis has been discovered by researchers. The finding represents a major new discovery towards finding the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially paving the way for research to investigate new treatments.

Multiple sclerosis affects around 2.5 million people around the world. Typically, people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s, and it is more common in women than men. Professor Paul Eggleton, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said:

“Multiple sclerosis can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, affecting mobility, speech, mental ability and more. So far, all medicine can offer is treatment and therapy for the symptoms – as we do not yet know the precise causes, research has been limited. Our exciting new findings have uncovered a new avenue for researchers to explore. It is a critical step, and in time, we hope it might lead to effective new treatments for MS.”

MITOCHONDRIA SUSPECTED

The cause of MS has so far been a mystery. It is known that the disease causes the body’s own immune system to attack myelin – the fatty “sheaths” that protect nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

This leads to brain damage, a reduction in blood supply and oxygen and the formation of lesions in the body. Symptoms can be wide-ranging, and can include muscle spasms, mobility problems, pain, fatigue, and problems with speech.

Scientists have long suspected that mitochondria, the energy-creating “powerhouse” of the cell, play a link in causing multiple sclerosis.

The international team, involving the University of Exeter Medical School and the University of Alberta, was the first to combine clinical and laboratory experiments to explain how mitochondria become defective in people with MS. Using human brain tissue samples , they found that a protein called Rab32 is present in large quantities in the brains of people with MS, but is virtually absent in healthy brain cells.

RAB32 AND ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS

Endoplasmic Reticulum

Blausen.com staff (2014). WikiJournal of Medicine 1. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. CC BY 3.0

Where Rab32 is present, the team discovered that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a part of the cell that stores calcium, gets too close to the mitochondria. The resulting miscommunication with the calcium supply triggers the mitochondria to misbehave, ultimately causing toxicity for brain cells people with MS.

Researchers do not yet know what causes an unwelcome influx of Rab32 but they believe the defect could originate at the base of the ER organelle. The finding will enable scientists to search for effective treatments that target Rab32 and embark on determining whether there are other proteins that may pay a role in triggering MS.

Dr David Schley, Research Communications Manager at the MS Society, said:

“No one knows for sure why people develop MS and we welcome any research that increases our understanding of how to stop it. There are currently no treatments available for many of the more than 100,000 people in the UK who live with this challenging and unpredictable condition. We want people with MS to have a range of treatments to choose from, and be able to get the right treatment at the right time.”

The research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and MS Society of Canada, along with a Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust Hospital grant.

Use of Health Care Increases Well Before an MS Diagnosis

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• PrinStudy Finds That Use of Health Care Increases Well Before an MS Diagnosis, Offering New Leads to Earlier Treatment and Disease Triggersrom the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Website; Study Finds That Use of Health Care Increases Well Before an MS Diagnosis, Offering New Leads to Earlier Treatment and Disease Triggers

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/About-the-Society/News/Study-Finds-That-Use-of-Health-Care-Increases-Well#

Study Finds That Use of Health Care Increases Well Before an MS Diagnosis, Offering New Leads to Earlier Treatment and Disease Triggers

April 21, 2017

SUMMARY

• Canadian researchers funded by the National MS Society compared health records of 14,428 people with MS to 72,059 controls and discovered that people with MS use more health care (medications, doctor visits, hospitalizations) during the five years before their first symptoms of MS.
• These findings suggest that there might be a measurable MS “prodrome”: an early emergence of unrecognized symptoms indicating the onset of disease.
• Further study is necessary to determine the complex reasons for these increases in healthcare use. Finding a prodromal phase in MS could facilitate faster recognition, diagnosis, and management of MS, and may generate new opportunities to understand the origins and triggers of MS.
• Early and ongoing treatment with disease-modifying therapy is supported by the MS Coalition, which includes the National MS Society. Even earlier diagnosis and treatment for MS may better slow disease activity and prevent future disability.
• The paper was published early online in Lancet Neurology on April 20, 2017.

DETAILS
Background: It has become increasingly apparent in some diseases that involve nerve damage − Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s disease, and possibly ALS -- that the damage starts years before symptoms are recognized. There is growing evidence suggesting that MS also develops before it manifests as ‘classic’ symptoms (currently recognized as related to MS), but there is no established way to detect it in the absence of the signs and symptoms that lead directly to an MS diagnosis. This has important implications for uncovering the causes, understanding the way MS develops, improving detection and diagnosis, developing better targeted treatments, and preventing disease and disease progression. The origin of MS is poorly understood and the disease can be difficult to diagnose. The search for an MS “prodrome” − symptoms that suggest an earlier disease onset − is critical.

The Study: Researchers funded by the National MS Society  (Jose Wijnands, PhD,  University of British Columbia; Charity Evans, PhD, University of Saskatchewan; John Fisk, PhD, Dalhousie University; Ruth Ann Marrie, MD, PhD, University of Manitoba; and Helen Tremlett, PhD, University of British Columbia) and colleagues capitalized on the unique health system and research networks developed in Canada to analyze 20 years’ worth of health data  from four provinces -- British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. They looked for a measurable prodromal period before individuals had experienced their first neurologic symptom caused by inflammation or demyelination (damage to nerve-insulating myelin). The study compared hospital, physician, and prescription records for 14,428 people with MS to 72,059 people without MS (controls) for the five years before the first reported symptom or health claim leading up to a diagnosis of MS.

Results: Overall, people with MS had more and longer hospitalizations and physician claims, and filled prescriptions for more drug classes than controls during each of the five years before their first health claim for a neurological episode indicative of MS. The annual rate that people with MS used health care increased steadily between five years and one year before the first claim leading to a diagnosis of MS. In the year before the first claim, people destined to develop MS had a 78% higher rate of hospitalizations, an 88% higher rate of physician service use, and a 49% increase in the number of drug types (classes) for which prescriptions were dispensed.

Additional research is needed to understand the reasons for the increased health care use and how to use this information to identify early manifestations of MS.

The paper was published early online in Lancet Neurology on April 20, 2017.

Comment: The results of this important study suggest that MS begins earlier than it has currently been possible to detect, and that there may be an opportunity to recognize, diagnose and treat MS earlier than is now possible. The findings also suggest that studies to identify factors that might trigger the onset of MS should be done earlier (before the ‘prodrome’ begins) to offer new opportunities for its prevention. In addition, further studies may identify symptoms not currently recognized as attributable to MS.

Early and ongoing treatment with disease-modifying therapy is supported by the MS Coalition, which includes the National MS Society. Even earlier diagnosis and treatment for MS may better slow disease activity and prevent future disability.

Additional funding sources: José M.A. Wijnands receives salary support from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research /The Koehle Family Foundation, Ruth Ann Marrie holds the Waugh Family Chair in Multiple Sclerosis and Helen Tremlett is the Canada Research Chair for Neuroepidemiology and Multiple Sclerosis.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. 

TAGS: Lancet Neurology, National Multiple Sclerosis Society 

Gray Matter Atrophy Tied to MS Progression

https://www.medpagetoday.com/mastery-of-medicine/neurology-mastery-in-ms/64769?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-04-25&eun=g351680d0r&pos=1

AAN: Spinal Gray Matter Atrophy Tied to MS Progression

Signs of decrease in spinal anatomy may be viewed as biomarker

• SAVESAVED

• by Florenz Turkel 
  Contributing Writer, MedPage TodayApril 24, 2017

In MRI scans of the C2/C3 cervical spine among early MS patients, there was a 14% reduction in gray matter area among patients diagnosed with progressive MS compared with a 3% reduction in gray matter area among patients diagnosed with relapsing MS (P=0.0007), reported Regina Schlaeger, MD, PhD, of the University of California San Francisco and the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland, and colleagues.

The 3% decrease in gray mater area in the cervical spine was also significantly lower than in controls (P=0.0437), she noted in a presentation at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting.

Schlaeger reported that total cord area matter was reduced 10% among patients with progressive disease but actually was increased a non-significant 2% from controls. The difference in cord area was statistically significant between patients with progressive MS and those with relapsing MS (P<0.0001).

There was also a significant difference in white matter, reduced 9% in those with progressive disease compared with an increase of 3% over controls among patients diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis (P=0.0053).

However, the researchers did not find significant differences in the loss of gray matter in the spinal cord at the T9/T10 location among patients with or without spinal cord lesions seen on MRI.

Schlaeger's group enrolled 64 patients with early MS and 53 controls in the observational study. The mean disease duration from first symptom onset was 1.2 years for the MS patients, who had a mean age of 36.9, and a median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) Score of 2.0. Nearly half were women. Among the healthy controls, the mean age was 37.4 and 38 were women.

According to the results, in cervical and thoracic spinal cord, patients had significantly smaller gray areas than controls (P=0.005 for C2/C3, P=0.041 for T9/T10). However, there was significant difference in either the spinal cord white matter or total cord areas.

Also, cervical and thoracic gray matter areas were not correlated with the number of spinal cord T2-lesions.

In the subgroup of patients without prior spinal cord relapses (n=32), a multivariable model based on cervical spinal cord gray matter area as the predictor variable with age and sex as covariates explained 48% of EDSS variance, the authors reported. In the patients with prior spinal cord relapses, there was no significant association between spinal cord gray matter area and EDSS, and the number of spinal cord T2-lesions did predict 26% of EDSS variance in this subgroup in a linear model (with age and sex as covariates).

Schlaeger noted that gray matter reduction in the spinal cord in early diagnosed multiple sclerosis patients could be useful as a biomarker for progression in MS.

"Compared to later stages, much of the Expanded Disability Status Score variance is explained by spinal cord lesions at the early stages of disease," Schlaeger said. "Spinal cord gray matter atrophy is detectable in vivo already at the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis, affecting both the cervical and lower thoracic cord. In patients without prior spinal cord relapses, cervical cord gray matter area is inversely associated with disability."

"The spinal cord is massively important for disability and progression in the disease," commented discussant Daniel Reich, MD, PhD, director of the translational neuroradiology section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Md.

"Schlaeger has done an interesting thing in finding that the presence of lesions at the cervical and lower thoracic spine in the early disease state may be more important in determining a patient's disability, whereas later the amount of gray matter loss may be more relevant in determining a patient's disability," he said. "All told, I think this is more evidence that early aggressive treatment that can stop lesions from forming, and protect myelin from inflammatory damage, and repair the myelin within existing lesions really will help."

Schlaeger disclosed no relevant relationships with industry.

Reich disclosed relevant relationships with the Myelin Repair Foundation and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

• Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner

• Primary Source

  American Acdemy of Neurology

  Source Reference: Schlaeger R, et al "Atrophy of spinal cord gray matter is detectable at an early stage of multiple sclerosis" AAN 2017.

Tags: AAN, American Academy of Neurology, MedPage Today, Florenz Turkel, Robert Jasmer, MD

ATA188 Shows Promise for SPMS & PPMS Treatment

https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/2017/04/24/therapy-known-as-ata188-that-kills-b-cells-targeting-a-virus-shows-promise-against ms/?utm_source=Multiple+Sclerosis&utm_campaign=1a4df2d92f-RSS_MONDAY_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b5fb7a3dae-1a4df2d92f-69002221

ATA188, Which Kills B-Cells Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus, Shows Promise as MS Treatment

APRIL 24, 2017 

BY MAGDALENA KEGEL

IN NEWS.

An investigational treatment called ATA188 that wipes out B-cells targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has shown promise as a multiple sclerosis treatment, a Phase 1 clinical trial involving a small patient group indicates.

The trial, conducted in Australia, covered six people with primary or secondary progressive MS. B-cells are a type of white blood cell that the immune system uses to fight invaders.

ATA188’s developer, Atara Biotherapeutics, was scheduled to present the preliminary results of the trial at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Boston. The event, which started April 22, runs through April 28.

The title of the presentation is “Symptomatic and objective clinical improvement in progressive multiple sclerosis patients treated with autologous Epstein-Barr virus-specific T cell therapy: Interim results of a phase I trial.”

Researchers from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR Berghofer) and the University of Queensland collaborated with Atara on the trial.

Nearly all MS patients are infected with EBV. Usually, a specific type of T-cell helps control the infection and eliminates B-cells and antibody-producing plasma cells that target EBV.

There is considerably less T-cell response to EBV in MS, however. This means T-cells are unable to marshal B-cells and plasma cells in a way that can kill the virus, researchers believe.

B-cells and plasma cells with EBV have been found in brain lesions in MS patients. And studies have shown that immune activity against EBV correlates with the development of lesions and increases in MS patients’ disability.

Researchers believe B-cells and plasma cells with EBV are involved in the destruction of myelin, a protective coating of neurons whose deterioration is involved in MS. This idea is in part supported by the recent approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). Ocrevus targets B-cells, but not plasma cells.

ATA188 uses T-cells derived from a patient or donated as starting material. With a patient’s own cells, or autologous cells, researchers first gather T-cells from a blood sample. Then they train the cells to recognize markers of EBV before injecting them back into the patient. This approach makes it possible to find and eliminate virus-specific B-cells and plasma cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The patients in the trial received four escalating doses of ATA188 developed from their own T-cells. After the last dose, at six weeks, they were followed for 20 weeks.

Symptoms of three of the six patients improved after ATA188 treatment. They reported less fatigue, better quality of life, increased ability to perform daily activities, and improved hand movement and coordination. Two of the three had secondary and one primary progressive MS.

Over the 26 weeks of the trial, none of the six patients’ disease worsened, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The symptom improvements correlated with increased immune cell response toward EBV, researchers said.

“The clinical data reported by Dr. [Michael] Pender, Dr. [Rajiv] Khanna and their colleagues from the first prospective trial of EBV-specific T-cell therapy in MS suggest that it is possible to achieve objective clinical improvements in MS patients with advanced disease by targeting EBV,” Chris Haqq, the chief scientific officer of Atara, said in a press release.

“This clinical trial directly follows our previously reported findings from a patient with SPMS who showed a durable response to autologous EBV-CTL therapy that lasted for more than three years,” added Khanna, coordinator of QIMR Berghofer’s Center for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development.

The main goal of the trial was to assess the treatment’s safety. Researchers reported no adverse effects from its use.

“The observed clinical improvements in patients with the highest levels of EBV reactivity support the hypothesis that targeting EBV-positive B-cells and plasma cells may be an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of MS,” Haqq said. “We look forward to additional development with both the autologous and allogeneic versions of ATA188 to further evaluate the potential therapeutic utility of targeting EBV in the treatment of MS.”

“At QIMR Berghofer, we have focused for years on elucidating the role of EBV in human disease, and we are excited to be working with Atara Bio to help realize the promise of expanding immunotherapy beyond oncology to autoimmune conditions,” Khanna added.

TAGGED AAN 2017, ATA188, ATARA BIOTHERAPEUTICS, B-CELLS, EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS, PLASMA CELLS, PPMS, SPMS. Multiple Sclerosis News Today

Letter from Congressman Tim Murphy re: Research Funding for the NIH

April 18, 2017



Dear Mr. Austin,

Thank you for contacting me and expressing your support for medical research funding at the National Institute of Health (NIH). I appreciate hearing from you on this very important topic and for the opportunity to provide you with an update on my work to support research into medical advancements and therapies.  

With health care innovation advancing at lightning speed, it is critical that our policies reflect and support medical breakthroughs and not lag behind life-saving cures. Towards that end, I recently joined my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in urging the House Appropriations Committee to support robust funding for NIH in FY 2018. I have long been a supporter of cutting edge research into specific cancers and diseases, and full funding for NIH is an important step to ensure that these lifesaving programs continue. To see the full details of our request, you can read a copy of our letter for NIH funding, please click here.

To further advance disease-specific research needs, I signed my name onto another request to the House Appropriations Committee to ensure full funding for NIH’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. Brain Disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autism, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and depression are projected to the be most costly and chronic diseases of the 21st Century, affecting 50 million of our fellow Americans. The BRAIN Initiative seeks to unlock our understanding of the brain, which is a critical component to develop the best medical treatments and cures for neurological disorders. You can read a copy of our letter in support of funding for the BRAIN Initiative by clicking here. 

It is an honor to represent you and all of Pennsylvania's Eighteenth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. To stay in touch with what I’m working on and get the latest updates from Washington and around Southwestern Pennsylvania, you can follow me on Twitter @RepTimMurphy. You can also find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RepTimMurphy or follow me on Medium at www.medium.com/@Tim.Murphy.  I also encourage you to sign up for my weekly E-newsletter by visiting www.murphy.house.gov. Thank you for contacting me and I look forward to hearing from you again soon.  

Sincerely,

Tim Murphy
Member of Congress

Active Bills I Am Currently Supporting in 2017

BILLS in CONGRESS I PERSONALLY SUPORT

H.R.184 - Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2017 Introduced 1/3/2017 by Rep. Paulsen, Erik [R-MN-3] 249 Cosponsors

H.R. 325 Adult Day Center Enhancement Act Introduced 1/5/2017 by Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13]. NO COSPONSORS

H.R.394 - Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2017 Introduced 01/10/2017 by Rep. Jenkins, Lynn [R-KS-2]. 12 Cosponsors

H.R. 750 Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2017 Introduced 1/30/2017. 29 Cosponsors

H.R.807 - Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017 Introduced  02/01/2017 by Rep. Paulsen, Erik [R-MN-3] 101 Cosponsors

H.R.849 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2017 Introduced 02/03/2017 by Rep. Roe, David P. (R-TN-1). 102 Cosponsors

S.85 - Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2017 Introduced 01/10/2017 by Sen. Roberts, Pat [R-KS] 3 Cosponsors

S.108 - Medical Device Access and Innovation Protection Act  Introduced 1/12/2017 by Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT] 14 Cosponsors

S.251 - Protecting Medicare from Executive Action Act of 2017. Introduced 02/01/2017 by Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] 8 Cosponsors

S.253 - Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017 Introduced 02/01/2017 by Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] 22 Cosponsors

S.260 - Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2017. Introduced 02/01/2017 by Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]  34 Cosponsors

BILLS in the PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE I Personally Support

House Bill 161 Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act Introduced by Assemblyman Anthony M. DeLuca & 20 Cosponsors

Reintroduction of Legislation – Livable Home Tax Credit Cosponsor Memorandum sent December 16, 2016