On the recordJuly 9, 2015
I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Chairman, this legislation, I believe, as Mr. Lance stated, is proof that we can accomplish great things when we put aside partisanship and unite around a common goal. To that end, I want to thank all of my wonderful colleagues here today who have worked on this thing for so long. I am new to the committee, and coming into this and being able to be a part of this is really a great honor for me. {time} 1845 I want to thank the chair and the ranking member also for my provision to extend and expand the prior authorization program for prior mobility devices in this bill, providing certainty to Medicare beneficiaries that these critical devices will, in fact, be covered. I am also excited about the NIH innovation fund, which entails mandatory funding, as was mentioned earlier, and will support scientists like those working at the University of Iowa. As a result, we will have more groundbreaking advances like the University of Iowa researchers' discovery of a biomarker that could lead to early detection for the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women, a discovery that could save countless lives. While I am disappointed that the NIH funding was cut from $10 billion to $8.75 billion, I am hopeful that we can restore this amount as the process moves forward.…
