Legislative Priorities

118th Congress

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) 

Support funding of $1,500,000 in the FY24 LHHS Appropriations bill for National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Study. Due to little to no preventive methods and treatments available on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we request programmatic funding of $1,5000,000 through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to support a study conducted by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Findings from this study will provide critical insights related to improved intervention, prevention, and treatment strategies for NAFLD. These insights will lead to recommendations for policymakers and the liver community and advance the shared goal of improving health outcomes for people affected by this serious condition. 

Transplant

Cosponsor the bipartisan Living Donor Protection Act which seeks to prohibit employment and long
term care/life insurance discrimination and otherwise promote and ease the process of living organ
donation.

S. 1384 Sen. Gillibrand (D-NY) H.R. 2923 Rep. Nadler (D-NY)

Research on Liver Disease

Support increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and proportional discretionary increases to individual Institutes and Centers such as National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK), National Institute on Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Continue to include “Hepatitis B” on the list of conditions deemed eligible for study through the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program in the DOD Appropriations bill.

Continue to include “Liver Cancer” on the list of conditions deemed eligible for study through the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program in the DOD Appropriations bill. 

Cost & Access to Therapeutic Treatments

Cosponsor the bipartisan Safe Step Act which would require patient safety, transparency, and clinical judgment regulations for step therapy or “fail first” protocols implemented for insurance plans.

S.652 Rep. Murkowski (R-AK) H.R 2630 Rep. Wenstrup (R-OH)

Cosponsor the bipartisan HELP Copays Act which seeks to restrict the use of copay accumulator
programs and apply copays to an out-of-pocket maximum.

S. 1375 Sen. Marshall (R-KS) H. R.830 Rep Carter (R-GA)

Liver Caucus

ALF is working to establish a Congressional Liver Caucus and will reach out soon to ask Members of Congress to join. This caucus will aim to bring attention and awareness to research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of liver diseases and conditions. Through this caucus, ALF will work to connect members of Congress with leading medical providers in the field, patient advocacy groups, and other stakeholders who are focused on improving liver health outcomes. Additionally, this caucus will serve as a platform to champion policy initiatives to reduce the burden of liver diseases and conditions.