National Pain Care Policy Act Approved by Committee March 6, 2009  U.S. House of Representative’s Energy and Commerce Committee Approves the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009 The Neuropathy Association is pleased to share that the United States House of Representative’s Energy and Commerce Committee adopted the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009 (H.R.756) on March 4, 2009. The Neuropathy Association is one 120 organizations, including The American Pain Foundation, who have come together to support the re-introduction of the bill by signing a consensus statement that resulted in the passing of the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009. We believe the National Pain Care Policy Act will bring much-needed focus to pain care research, education, training, access, outreach and care. The legislation will now move to the full House for consideration and then to the United States Senate. Pain is the most common reason Americans access the health care system and is a leading contributor to health care costs. It is also a leading cause of disability. In the neuropathy community, pain continues to be the number one issue challenging patients on a day-to-day basis, based on the Association’s 2008 constituent survey. The National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009 seeks to make pain a public health priority in several ways: by driving the need for a Pain Consortium at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand research on causes and treatments for pain; by providing comprehensive pain care education and training for healthcare professionals; by creating a national public awareness campaign on pain management; and by authorizing an Institute of Medicine conference on pain management. To learn more, read The American Pain Foundation’s press release.

All active news articles