In This Section
SNMMI Comments on CURES 2.0 Proposal
July 26, 2021
When Reps. Upton and DeGette requested comment on their 21st Century Cures 2.0 proposal to be introduced later this year, we listened. On July 16, SNMMI, the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) and the Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals submitted the following letter. The Cures 2.0 bill aims to continue the acceleration of the discovery, development, and delivery of 21st century cures. The coalition's letter urged Congress to use this opportunity to expand Medicare beneficiary access to diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals. The inclusion of bipartisan legislation would help ensure that patients in need have access to clinically appropriate diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals at the right time.
That same day, the Facilitating Innovative Nuclear Diagnostics (FIND) Act of 2021 was introduced. The bill would direct CMS to pay separately in the outpatient hospital setting for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals that have a mean cost per day exceeding $500 and that were approved by the FDA on or after January 1, 2008. This legislation will safeguard access to the most appropriate imaging using diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals and encourage innovation and development of additional diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals that will be used in the future to improve patient care.
Earlier in March 2021, SNMMI—along with MITA, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), the Association for Quality Imaging (AQI), and the Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI)—sent a letter commending Reps. DeGette and Upton on the introduction of the the RISE Act. This act (H.R. 869/S. 289) authorizes approximately $25 billion in much-needed supplemental funding for federal research agencies to mitigate the negative scientific and economic effects of the COVID-19–related laboratory closures and disruptions of research already in progress.
In addition to supporting the RISE Act, SNMMI, the American Society for Microbiology, and 35 other organizations sent a letter to members of the House Appropriations Committee urging them to reject attempts to impose restrictions on federally funded research or the operations of federal science agencies.