The House Republicans are proposing to terminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The provision is included in their newly unveiled proposed budget for the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services. The AHRQ is responsible for some of the most important research on Traumatic Brain Injury, and has provided life-saving information on the effectiveness of certain drugs and treatments for a wide range of diseases over the years.
The bill, which will be marked up by the House Appropriations Labor-HHS subcommittee today, states that the agency would be “terminated” effective Oct. 1, 2012. It would rescind all funds that haven’t been spent yet, and would “transfer” activities that fall under the agency. That includes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which has been at the center of controversies over prostate cancer screening and mammograms.
Reach out to your Representatives and tell them that health services research, and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, must be protected.
