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ICA made its annual visit to Capitol Hill on May 2, 2017. ICA’s legislative priorities for 2017 include:

RESPONSIBLE PAIN MANAGEMENT

• Access to chronic pain care medication is a priority for the community. Chronic pain patients depend on important medications to cope with their pain and support the National Pain Strategy (NPS).

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

• Provide $36 billion for NIH. Strengthening the nation’s biomedical research enterprise through NIH fosters economic growth and sustains innovations that enhance the health and well-being of the American people.
• Support the NIH research portfolio on IC. The cause of IC is unknown, there are no definitive diagnostic tools available to clinicians, and there is no cure for IC. The National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) leads the NIH research portfolio with groundbreaking studies like the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network which takes a whole-body approach to studying IC as well as epidemiology research

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)

• Provide $1,000,000 for the CDC IC Education and Awareness Program. This program promotes public awareness of IC through education for health care providers and the general public. As a diagnosis of exclusion, physicians must be aware of IC in order for patients to receive timely and accurate diagnoses and this program maintains a significant focus on information sharing among stakeholders, with the aim to increase awareness, diagnosis, and proper treatment.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) PEER-REVIEWED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM

• Include ‘interstitial cystitis’ in the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program. IC is becoming increasingly prevalent among veterans and is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Congress has historically included IC in the list of eligible conditions for research under this program and IC researchers compete successfully each year.

Affordable Care Act Reform

• Please preserve basic patient protections from the Affordable Care Act including:
• prohibiting insurer discrimination against pre-existing conditions
• allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26
• establishing reasonable maximums for out-of-pocket costs
• prohibiting annual and lifetime caps on insurance coverage

Even if you weren’t able to participate last week, every day is a good day to advocate for ICA: www.ichelp.org/advocacy-for-those-affected-by-interstitial-cystitis