Policy Consensus Statement

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Lung disease, responsible for one in seven deaths, is America’s number three killer.  It is estimated that more than 35 million Americans are living with a chronic lung disease such as, asthma, emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis. 

However, at the same time that the incidence of chronic lung disease is on the rise, federal funding for research to combat lung disease has been flat.  As a result, only 10-12% of the promising lung disease research proposals submitted to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and even fewer lung cancer proposals submitted to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), are being funded each year. Because of this, the United for Lung Health partners favor a 6.6% increase in the overall budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for FY 2009.  Our recommendation is consistent with the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research and would permit NIH to fund lung disease research at levels keeping pace with inflation.

An increased investment in lung disease research will lead to decreased health care costs and improved quality of life for those with lung disease. 

Persons living with lung diseases such as asthma, lung cancer and COPD face many challenges and barriers to proper management and control of their health.  The United for Lung Health partners also encourage Congress to improve access to treatment options most suitable for those persons living with lung disease through policy and budgetary actions.