Encourage Public and Private Investments in Medical Research
Where the Candidates Stand
Investments in basic health research are critical to advance medical knowledge. Tremendous advances in medicine have resulted from breakthroughs resulting from the nation’s investments, in basic research both privately and through the National Institutes of Health. The public benefits from discoveries that advance medical science as well as from the development of new pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, processes and procedures. Incentives must be maintained for the health care system to continually invest in basic and clinical research.
Health services research and scientific assessments of the safety, clinical effectiveness and cost/benefits of healthcare technology are also essential for a well functioning health care system. Investments in health services research are needed to determine the safety, effectiveness, and efficacy of medical tests and procedures. Information obtained from this research must be widely disseminated to guide health care providers to appropriately utilize new technologies and avoid inappropriate and over-use.
From ACP’s Position Paper, Achieving a High Performance Health Care System with Universal Access .
Where the Candidates Stand
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
ACP Key Benchmarks for Reform
Encourage public and private investments in all kinds of medical research – including research on comparative effectiveness of different treatments – to foster continued innovation and improvements in health care.
The Candidate’s Stand
Clinton’s proposal calls for federal recognition of and increased reimbursement to physicians, who complete maintenance of certification (MOC) programs that promote continuing education for physicians on the latest advances in medical care and procedures. She also proposes greater investments in public-private consensus-based organizations to certify performance for enhanced payments, review existing quality measures and establish priorities for developing new quality measures, and disseminate information on the most effective treatments and protocols.
For more information visit the Clinton website.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
ACP Key Benchmarks for Reform
Encourage public and private investments in all kinds of medical research – including research on comparative effectiveness of different treatments – to foster continued innovation and improvements in health care.
The Candidate’s Stand
McCain supports innovative health care delivery systems, including retail health clinics and proposes dedicating federal research on the basis of sound science with greater focus on chronic illness care and management.
For more information visit the McCain website.
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
ACP Key Benchmarks for Reform
Encourage public and private investments in all kinds of medical research – including research on comparative effectiveness of different treatments – to foster continued innovation and improvements in health care.
The Candidate’s Stand
Obama proposes the establishment of an independent institute for comparative effectiveness reviews and other patient safety efforts.
For more information visit the Obama website.
Policy Highlights
Establishing Federal Guidelines Protecting Against Genetic Discrimination![[PDF]](/graphics/new/pdf.gif)
- March 2008
Achieving a High Performance Health Care System with Universal Access: What the USA Can Learn from Other Countries, at www.annals.org. December, 2007
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