Advocacy - Lab Advocate
On February 4th, AACC joined other healthcare stakeholders in urging Congress to pass the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, which would continue ongoing federal efforts to provide funding to expand local testing, educate parents on the available treatments for their children, and help states ensure the quality and accuracy of their testing. Each year, tens of thousands of babies are identified with rare but treatable medical conditions. Without this screening, these babies would die or suffer lifelong, irreversible disabilities. The House passed the AACC-backed version of the bill in 2021.
As Congress works on finalizing the fiscal year 2022 funding package, AACC and others are likewise urging the Senate to provide additional funding for the CDC Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Program and the Health Resources and Service Administration's Heritable Disorders programs, which ensure the accuracy of newborn screening tests and helping states to improve and expand newborn screening. AACC is a longstanding supporter of federal newborn screening efforts and will continue advocating for greater investment in these crucial programs.