Save the Date!
2006 NBCC Annual Advocacy Training Conference
April 29 - May 2, 2006
Washington, DC
Get in on Early Bird registration rates until December 16, 2005. Register now!
Don't miss the Health Care Justice Act Public Hearing happening in your district!
Tuesday, November 1st
4 - 7 p.m.
La Grange Village Hall Auditorium - 53 S. LaGrange Road, La Grange, IL 60525
3rd Congressional District
Come to the hearing - this is YOUR chance to be part of the health care solution
in Illinois!
Going to be in Washington, DC? Have coffee with your U.S. Senators!
SMOKE-FREE CHICAGO PASSES OUT OF COMMITTEE!
Project LEAD® is a science training course developed by the National Breast Cancer Coalition
designed to help breast cancer activists influence research and public policy
processes.
Upcoming Project LEAD Dates and locations:
Washington, DC (Clinical Trials LEAD), January19-22, 2006 - Application deadline
November 19, 2005
Houston, TX (Basic Project LEAD), March 22-26, 2006 - Application deadline January
22, 2006
San Jose, CA (Quality Care LEAD), August 2-6, 2006 - Application deadline June
2, 2006
United Airlines helped ten IlliNOISY Advocates to attend the 2005 NBCC Advocacy
Conference in Washington, DC.
Thank you United Airlines!
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November 2005 IlliNOISY News
The latest news from the Y-ME IlliNOISY Advocacy Network! Watch for the most
recent edition in your inbox the first Tuesday of each month.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Advocacy in Action: Bringing More Voices to the Fight Against Breast Cancer
On Saturday, October 29th, Y-ME Illinois held it's 25th Anniversary Fashion Show
& Luncheon. During this exciting event, IlliNOISY Advocate Judy Richter,
was busy signing up new members for the IlliNOISY Advocacy Network. Bringing
new voices to the fight against breast cancer helps us to ensure that we will
be able to impact decisions being made in Washington, DC and Springfield. Thank
you Judy!
Support Grows for the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act
Priority #3: Enactment of the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act (H.R. 2231 / S.
757)
IlliNOISY Advocates have been working hard to gain support for the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act (S. 757 / H.R. 2231) among our Illinois Members of Congress. During the month of October, Representatives Rush and Davis both signed on as
co-sponsors for H.R. 2231. Please be sure to thank them!
At this time there are 162 House cosponsors and 53 Senate cosponsors. This needed
research will authorize $30 million for five years to the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences to establish multidisciplinary, multi-institutional
research centers to study potential links between the environment and breast cancer.
Illinois Members of Congress Who Have NOT Co-Sponsored H.R. 2231 / S. 757
~ Sen. Dick Durbin (D)
~ Sen. Barack Obama (D)
~ Rep. Henry Hyde (R-06)
~ Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-14)
~ Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-15)
~ Rep. Lane Evans (D-17)
~ Rep. John Shimkus (R-19)
Please visit the IlliNOISY Action Alert page to take action by thanking those who have co-sponsored and urging those who
have not, to do so!
DOD BCRP Funding Still Uncertain
Priority #2: $150 million dollar appropriation for the Department of Defense (DoD) peer-reviewed
Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) for fiscal year (FY) 2006
It is still undecided if the Department of Defense (DoD) peer-reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP)
will be funded $150million for FY2006 as advised by the Senate, $115 million
as advised by the House or somewhere in between. It has been suggested that
this decision will be reached the first week of November.
Keep an eye out for future alerts on this priority!
Illinois Legislature Approves Gov. Blagojevich's Children's Health Plan
The Illinois House on Thursday voted 79-28 to approve the All Kids health insurance
bill that would extend coverage to all uninsured children in the state. The state
Senate on Wednesday voted 32-23 along party lines to pass the bill. Under the
All Kids plan, parents of uninsured children would pay a monthly income-based
premium that in most cases would cost less than private insurance. To fund the
program, Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has proposed shifting 1.6 million beneficiaries
enrolled in KidCare, FamilyCare and traditional Medicaid to a managed care system
for an expected savings of $56 million during the first year.
Smoke-Free Chicago Passes Out of the Health Committee
On Thursday, October 27th, the City Council Health Committee voted unanimously
to pass the comprehensive Clean Indoor Air Ordinance protecting the health of
all workers, moving it onto the full City Council for a final vote.
Alderman Ed Smith, Chair of the Health Committee and sponsor of the Clean Indoor
Air Ordinance, will report to the City Council at next Tuesday's, November 1 meeting,
but will not call for a vote on the ordinance until the next council meeting in
late November.
Pressure needs to continue on all Aldermen and Mayor Daley to ensure they vote
in favor of a comprehensive ordinance.
NCI Director Assuming Role as Acting FDA Commissioner
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach was named
by President George W. Bush last Friday to assume the role of acting commissioner
of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. von Eschenbach also will continue
in his role as NCI director. The appointment of Dr. von Eschenbach to acting FDA
commissioner followed the resignation from that position by Dr. Lester Crawford.
In addition to his time as the FDA commissioner, Dr. Crawford also served as deputy
commissioner and acting commissioner at the agency. Read more.
Increased Use of Generic Medications Could Have Saved $20B This Year, Report
Finds
By increasing use of generic drugs, consumers, employers and health plans could
have saved more than $20 billion in 2004, according to a new report by pharmacy
benefit manager Express Scripts. The report, which analyzed six major classes
of drugs, is based on a sample of about three million Express Scripts commercial
members. According to the report, $24 billion in savings will be lost if generic
use does not increase this year and $25 billion in savings will be lost if generic
use does not increase next year. The report also says that generic drugs cost
on average $60 less per monthly prescription than a brand-name drug. Read more.
Bill Reauthorizing Breast Cancer Research Stamp Heads to White House
On October 27, the House approved, without objection, a bill (S. 37) to reauthorize
the breast cancer research stamp for two years through December 31, 2007. Funding
for the stamp is set to expire at the end of this year. The House Government
Reform Committee approved the bill on October 20th. The Senate approved the measure
on September 28 and it will now go to the White House to be signed into law by
President Bush.
Legislation Recently Introduced:
S. 1929 - Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) / Finance - A bill to reduce health care
disparities and improve health care quality, to improve the collection of racial,
ethnic, primary language, and socio-economic determination data for use by healthcare
researchers and policymakers, to provide performance incentives for high-performing
hospitals and community health centers, and to expand current federal programs
seeking to eliminate health disparities.
~ One of five American adults report having trouble communicating with their
doctor, while one out of ten reports being treated with disrespect during a health
care visit.
~ While many Mexican immigrants arrive in the U.S. healthier than their white
counterparts, their health deteriorates the longer they live in the U.S., possibly
related to a lack of health insurance and a change in lifestyle, according to
a recently released study.
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