Bishop Applauds Chairman Upton, Passage of 21st Century Cures

Press Release

Congressman Mike Bishop (MI-08) issued the following statement after the House passage of H.R. 34, the "21st Century Cures Act":

"I believe this is one of the most important pieces of legislation we will pass in the 114th Congress. Diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, addiction, mental health disorders, and so many others are taking a toll on families with little relief in sight, but today's passage of 21st Century Cures renews our hope.

"Together, we can support American jobs and innovation, and move even closer to finding the cures and treatment our loved ones have been waiting for. This bill also addresses previous funding concerns, to ensure government spending is responsible and can adjust based on varying needs. I applaud Chairman Fred Upton for his steadfast work on 21st Century Cures and encourage the Senate to join us in advancing this life-saving legislation."

The 21st Century Cures Act focuses on advancing research to speed up the discovery, development and delivery of new treatments and cures for many growing diseases. It also includes funding for state-allocated grants to help combat today's opioid epidemic.

The package of legislation also includes H.R. 5713, the Sustaining Healthcare Integrity and Fair Treatment Act, which addresses the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)'s new rule to limit the number of patients that Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) can accept from a single Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) -- from 50% to 25%. With the inclusion of this bill in the 21st Century Cures Act, CMS' new rule will be delayed until October 1, 2017, so hospitals -- including Lansing's Sparrow Hospital -- can prepare for its implementation and continue to work with specialty hospitals at the current level.

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