[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 10103]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     AMERICAN CENTER FOR THE CURES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Dold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, as the Supreme Court is about to rule on the 
health care law, Americans all across the country are focusing again on 
health care.
  Health care makes up about one-fifth of the United States' economy, 
and it is increasingly taking up a larger share of our Federal budget, 
so it's important that we look to implement strategies that bend the 
cost curve down.
  Scientific research over the years has enhanced our understanding of 
disease and has continuously led to many breakthrough treatments. 
However, it is critical that we emphasize not just treatment, but 
specifically cures for diseases as well.
  Last year, the United States Government spent just under $32 billion 
to help the National Institutes of Health carry out its critical 
mission: seeking fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of 
living systems, applying that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen 
life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.
  The NIH, Mr. Speaker, has earned a proud reputation for its research 
and has made a positive impact in the health care world. I'm a firm 
supporter of the NIH, and I spoke this past March to the House Budget 
Committee about the importance of funding NIH's mission. However, I 
also believe that we can always do more with the resources that we have 
and believe that we should refocus a portion of our health care 
resources toward a new mission. One idea that has been brought to me is 
a center that concentrates exclusively on eliminating diseases rather 
than continuing the practice of just treating diseases.
  This center, known as the American Center for Cures, would be a 
public-private partnership that utilizes the resources of the 
government with the creativity and accountability of the private sector 
to find cures for the diseases that in some way affect almost everyone 
on the planet--diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, just to name a new.
  By bringing our Nation's best and brightest minds together, from 
business boardrooms to scientists from around the world, the center 
would singularly devote its efforts to curing diseases by establishing 
renewed lines of communication amongst the world's most reputable 
scientists, funding collaborative research, unblocking bottlenecks in 
clinical research, facilitating speedy clinical trials, and ensuring 
that the research performed remains focused on outcomes and results.
  In addition to promoting the United States as the leading place for 
innovations and pioneering medical research, finding cures to some of 
mankind's deadliest diseases would also have global implications. The 
money saved by not having to dedicate it to treating or managing a 
disease could be freed up and invested in education, infrastructure, 
and deficit reduction, and we would be able to further help raise the 
standards of living for everyone in developing nations and around the 
globe.
  During these difficult fiscal times, Mr. Speaker, here in our own 
country we have to start thinking differently. Today, we spend 
approximately $235 billion annually on treating diabetes alone. Think 
about the cost if we add Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. If the American 
Center for Cures could find a cure, think about the possibilities. 
Think about the good we could do, for instance, with 235 billion extra 
dollars right here. That's what we spend in our country. Think about 
what gets spent all around the globe.
  We need to start thinking differently, Mr. Speaker. Change is hard, 
and change in Washington is even harder, but I believe that we have an 
obligation, as stewards of our taxpayers' hard-earned money, not only 
to effectively allocate their tax dollars in a manner that produces 
results, but change the way that we look at all the possibilities for 
our future. This mission could impact not just every American life, but 
every human on the planet.

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