Congress Introduces the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act

On Thursday, July 28, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the first-ever legislation solely devoted to ending Parkinson’s disease. This is a historic moment for the Parkinson’s community!

The National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act (H.R.8585) will, for the first time, unite the federal government and private enterprise in a mission to prevent and cure Parkinson’s, alleviate financial and health burdens on American families, and ensure those living with the disease have access to the care they need.

This bipartisan legislation is led by Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinson’s community are thankful for their leadership.

So now what?

This bill will go through the traditional congressional process and will need to be voted on by the House. To make this happen, your Representative in the U.S. House needs to hear from you! Please send an email asking them to show their support for this bill by becoming a co-sponsor. It’s easy and only takes about 90 seconds.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation is working with two Senators to introduce the Senate’s companion bill in the coming weeks, because it is standard congressional procedure for both chambers of Congress to pass the bill before it can go to the President for signature.

Sign up to receive our advocacy updates so you can be notified when it’s time to email your Senators to ask for their support of this bill.

Why a national plan and why now?

Parkinson’s is a disease that requires a national effort to cure and prevent. Parkinson’s costs the U.S. $52 billion every year, half of which is shouldered by the federal government, and that annual cost is expected to grow to $80 billion by the year 2037. A national plan to end Parkinson’s has the potential to:

• Dramatically increase federal research funding;

• Develop more effective pathways for treatments and cures;

• Improve early diagnosis;

• Spark new and improved models for patient care;

• Create standards and measures to prevent Parkinson’s disease;

• Address health disparities in diagnosis, treatment and clinical trial participation; and

• Enhance public awareness of the disease.

The public-private advisory council created as part of this legislation will report every year to Congress on their progress and impact in ending Parkinson’s. This is the kind of forward-looking strategy and responsible accountability the Parkinson’s community needs and deserves.

We will update this blog as the legislation advances through Congress, so stay tuned!

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Written by: The Michael J. Fox Foundation

Originally posted on: The Michael J. Fox Foundation Date posted on: July 29, 2022