Can some health care bills clear Congress this year? A bipartisan pair of leaders hopes so – Colorado Public Radio

Legislative Efforts to Advance Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

Bipartisan efforts within the United States Congress are focused on advancing health care legislation that directly aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. Despite institutional challenges, key lawmakers are championing bills centered on disease prevention, medical innovation, and improved access to treatments.

Prioritizing Preventive Care and Non-Communicable Disease Prevention (SDG Target 3.4)

A primary legislative focus is the promotion of preventive health measures, a cornerstone of SDG Target 3.4, which seeks to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases. The bipartisan Preventive Health Savings Act is a key initiative in this area.

• Objective: To financially incentivize preventive health care by requiring the Congressional Budget Office to more accurately account for the long-term savings generated by such measures.
• Alignment with SDG 3: By promoting policies that prevent illnesses like cancer before they develop, the bill directly supports the global goal of reducing mortality from non-communicable diseases.
• Status: The bill is being reintroduced with strong bipartisan support, reflecting a commitment to achieving long-term health and well-being outcomes.

Fostering Innovation and Access to Treatment (SDG Target 3.b)

In line with SDG Target 3.b, which calls for supporting the research and development of medicines for diseases that affect humanity, there is a significant push to accelerate medical innovation. This includes a follow-up to the 21st Century Cures Act and leveraging new technologies.

1. Embracing Technology: Lawmakers recognize the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the discovery of treatments for both rare and common diseases, shortening development timelines.
2. Institutional Agility: A central goal is to create a more nimble and responsive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) capable of efficiently evaluating and approving innovative therapies derived from new technologies like AI.
3. Legislative Framework: The efforts aim to build upon existing legislation to ensure that breakthroughs in medical science translate into accessible patient treatments without unnecessary delays.

Institutional Challenges and the Importance of Partnerships (SDG 16 & 17)

The advancement of this health-focused legislation is contingent upon effective and accountable institutions (SDG 16) and robust partnerships (SDG 17). The bipartisan collaboration between Representatives Diana DeGette and Morgan Griffith exemplifies the partnerships necessary to achieve global goals. However, progress is hindered by institutional and political obstacles.

• Legislative Gridlock: Partisan disputes, government shutdowns, and a crowded legislative calendar have delayed hearings and votes on critical health bills.
• Procedural Delays: A limited number of subcommittee hearings and markups has stalled the progress of several bipartisan bills that are otherwise ready for advancement.
• Conflicting Priorities: The focus on partisan issues has diverted attention and resources away from collaborative health care initiatives.

Overcoming these institutional barriers is critical to ensuring that legislative processes can effectively contribute to the achievement of SDG 3 and improve health outcomes for all citizens.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article’s primary focus is on health care legislation in the United States. It discusses specific bills aimed at cancer prevention (“Preventive Health Savings Act”), accelerating the delivery of innovative treatments (“21st Century Cures Act”), and improving the efficiency of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These efforts directly contribute to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The article extensively details the challenges within the U.S. Congress, a key governmental institution. It highlights issues of legislative gridlock, partisan fighting (“partisan fight over extending health insurance subsidies”), government shutdowns, and the slow pace of moving bills. The discussion between Representatives DeGette and Griffith about the reasons for the “lack of movement on other bills” and the low number of subcommittee hearings (“Republicans have only had nine hearings or markups in subcommittee this year”) points directly to the effectiveness and accountability of legislative institutions.
3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article showcases a partnership between a Democrat (Rep. DeGette) and a Republican (Rep. Griffith) who are working together on the Health subcommittee. Their joint appearance at the Punchbowl News event and their agreement on advancing certain bipartisan bills exemplify a multi-stakeholder partnership within the government. The article explicitly mentions “bipartisan bills ready to advance” and DeGette’s claim to have “at least three bills that are bipartisan bills that are ready to go,” underscoring the theme of collaboration to achieve common goals.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
   • The “Preventive Health Savings Act,” which DeGette calls the “prevention dividend,” directly addresses this target by promoting preventative care to combat diseases like cancer. The focus on a follow-up to the “21st Century Cures Act” and using AI to find “an answer for a rare disease” or a “new answer for disease that’s common” also aligns with the treatment aspect of this target.
2. Target 3.b: Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases… provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines…
   • The discussion around the “21st Century Cures Act,” the potential of AI to “shortcut and make it faster” to find treatments, and Griffith’s desire for an FDA that is “nimble enough to react” are all related to supporting and accelerating the research and development (R&D) and approval of new medicines.
3. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
   • The entire article is a commentary on the effectiveness of the U.S. Congress. The legislative process is shown to be hampered by partisan disputes, shutdowns, and a “winnowing legislative calendar.” DeGette’s complaint that Republicans have held only “nine hearings or markups in subcommittee this year” because their time is “taken up with mostly partisan issues” is a direct critique of the institution’s effectiveness and accountability in addressing substantive health policy.
4. Target 17.14: Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.
   • The “Preventive Health Savings Act” is a clear attempt to enhance policy coherence. It aims to force the Congressional Budget Office to factor in long-term savings from preventative care when scoring bills. This counters the often short-sighted legislative and budgetary process, promoting a more sustainable and long-term approach to health policy and government spending.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 3.4 (Prevention and Treatment of NCDs):
   • An implied indicator is the legislative status of preventative health bills. The article notes that the “Preventive Health Savings Act” passed the committee and the House in the last session but “got hung up in the Senate.” Its successful passage and enactment would be a clear measure of progress.
   • Another implied indicator is the timeline for new drug and treatment approvals. Griffith’s comment about not taking “ten years to get it from start to finish” suggests that the duration of the FDA approval process is a key metric for measuring access to new treatments.
2. For Target 16.6 (Effective Institutions):
   • A specific indicator mentioned is the number of legislative hearings and markups held. DeGette explicitly states, “Republicans have only had nine hearings or markups in subcommittee this year,” using this number as a metric for the subcommittee’s lack of activity and effectiveness.
   • An implied indicator is the number of bipartisan bills passed into law. The article mentions several “bipartisan bills that are ready to go,” and tracking how many of these successfully navigate the legislative process versus how many are stalled by partisan issues would measure the institution’s ability to function effectively.
3. For Target 17.14 (Policy Coherence):
   • An implied indicator is the adoption of long-term cost-benefit analysis in legislative scoring. The core purpose of the “Preventive Health Savings Act” is to change how the Congressional Budget Office calculates costs. The successful implementation of this change would be a direct indicator of enhanced policy coherence in fiscal and health matters.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: cpr.org