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AACI Applauds Passage of FY 2023 Omnibus Spending Package

Top congressional appropriators came to an agreement on a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. The budget was passed and signed by President Biden ahead of the December 23 deadline. The agreement framework from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the omnibus includes funding numbers that fall short of AACI’s requests. However, the final budget numbers still represent significant increases for both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The final package contains an increase of $2.5 billion for NIH funding – a 5.6 percent increase from FY 2022. For NCI, the package includes a $408 million (5.9 percent) increase, which translates to a total of $7.32 billion. The $7.32 billion for the NCI includes funding for the STAR Act and Childhood Cancer Data Registry, and an increase of $150 million for competitive cancer grants.

 

FY 2022 Enacted
FY 2023 Requested
FY 2023 Final

NIH

$44.9 billion

$49 billion

$47.5 billion

NCI

$6.9 billion

$7.76 billion

$7.32 billion







Other AACI Priorities Addressed

Another AACI legislative priority was included in the year-end deal. The AACI-endorsed Lymphedema Treatment Act, a long-standing bipartisan bill, would provide coverage for lymphedema compression treatment items as covered durable medical equipment under Medicare. This is a huge win for advocates of the legislation, including the Lymphedema Advocacy Group, which AACI has collaborated with to draw attention to the bill.

The package also expands eased Medicare rules that allow for increased access to telehealth through the end of 2024. Prior to this agreement, the eased regulations on telehealth were set to expire five months after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, projected for some time in 2023.

AACI is pleased to see the FY 2023 budget completed with increases in both NIH and NCI funding, and to avoid a continuing resolution, particularly since many influential, strong supporters of health funding will be retiring at the end of this Congress. To build on this momentum, it will be imperative to continue our strong advocacy in 2023.