Health Care Blog

Precision Medicine Is Already Working to Cure Americans: These Are Their Stories

Posted by Lindsay Holst on January 30, 2015 at 10:42 AM EST

During his State of the Union Address, President Obama announced that he is launching a new initiative that will help deliver the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. Precision medicine gives medical professionals the resources they need to target the specific treatments of the illnesses we encounter, further develops our scientific and medical research, and keeps our families healthier. As the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome, America is well-positioned to lead in a new era of medicine.

While most of today's medical treatments have been designed for the average patient, precision medicine allows us to be more effective than a "one-size-fits-all" technique. It's an emerging approach to promoting health and treating disease that takes into account individual differences in people's genes, environments, and lifestyles. This makes it possible to design targeted treatments for cancer and other diseases. As the President noted in his speech, this revolutionary approach has even reversed cystic fibrosis, an illness once thought unstoppable.

This approach is already saving lives, giving those in the medical field better options, and helping keep families healthy. Read a few of their stories:

William Elder Jr.

William Elder, Jr. was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of eight, when the life expectancy for CF patients was very low. Now at 27, Bill is alive thanks to Kalydeco, a treatment of a particular form for his cystic fibrosis and a remarkable drug that treats the underlying cause of his CF, rather than the symptoms.

At a congressional briefing in 2013, Bill told members of the U.S. Senate that just knowing that there were individuals who were researching his condition gave him hope and the strength to continue his treatments and work to be healthier every day. Bill described waking up in the middle of the night after taking his new treatment for the first time. “I sat on the floor of my room for a while slowly breathing in and out through my nose, and then I realized that was it. I had never been able to easily breathe out of my nose before. This was something profound,” he said. He recalls telling his parents, "For the first time in my life, I truly believe that I will live long enough to be a grandfather.”

read the rest

Learn more about Disabilities, Health Care
The Precision Medicine Initiative: Data-Driven Treatments as Unique as Your Own Body

Posted by Lindsay Holst on January 30, 2015 at 9:19 AM EST

Watch Jo Handelsman, Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, explain the Precision Medicine Initiative and its significance.

Watch on YouTube

The President's 2016 budget includes investments in an emerging field of medicine that takes into account individual differences in people's genes, microbiomes, environments, and lifestyles -- making possible more effective, targeted treatments for diseases like cancer and diabetes. That's incredibly significant, and this is why:

Right now, most medical treatments are designed for the average patient.

But one size doesn't fit all, and treatments that are very successful for some patients don't work for others. Think about it:
- If you need glasses, you aren't assigned a generic pair. You get a prescription customized for you.
- If you have an allergy, you get tested to determine exactly what you're allergic to.
- If you need a blood transfusion, it has to match your precise blood type.
Enter Precision Medicine: health care tailored to you.

read the rest

Learn more about Health Care
Behind the Budget: Dr. Julian Harris, OMB Associate Director for Health

Posted by Lindsay Holst on January 29, 2015 at 2:57 PM EST

"Behind the Budget" is a series of posts featuring audio stories from staffers from across the Office of Management and Budget, discussing aspects of the budget process that most Americans don't get to see.

In some ways, it's always budget season for the OMB health policy team: At any point in the year, they're likely to be either developing, negotiating, or implementing two or three fiscal year budgets at a time. This year's budget in particular includes a range of proposals, from those that make efficient improvements to health care acess and quality, to those with broader public health implications. That means, for instance, programs that invest in preparedness and disease prevention, efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, and the NIH-lead effort to accelerate advances in the field of precision medicine.

Meet Dr. Julian Harris, OMB Associate Director for Health.

read the rest

Learn more about , Economy, Fiscal Responsibility, Health Care
The Faces of Health Care: Steve P.

Posted by David Hudson on January 29, 2015 at 9:30 AM EST

"Your reform made it possible for me to be covered."

Last September, Steve P., an emergency physician in South Florida, wrote the President to thank him for his efforts on health insurance reform.

As an emergency physician, Steve said that he's "a witness everyday to both the successes and the shortcomings of our health care system," and sees "how desperately we needed health insurance reform."

read the rest

Learn more about , Health Care
Remind You of Someone? You Should Share These:

Posted by Ashleigh Smith on January 27, 2015 at 5:08 PM EST

2014 saw dramatic reductions in the amount of Americans without health insurance, corresponding with the estimated 10 million people who have already gained health insurance since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period. As more Americans gain coverage and we approach the February 15th HealthCare.gov enrollment deadline, one artist highlights what these diverse Americans have in common in a series of shareable graphics.

Do any of these remind you of someone you know?
Share it with them using the buttons below each image.

read the rest

Learn more about , Health Care
Urging Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to #GetCovered

Posted by Tina Tchen on January 26, 2015 at 10:49 AM EST

The summer after he graduated from college, Kalwis Lo learned he had stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system. His private health insurance plan denied him coverage for treatment, claiming the cancer diagnosis was a “pre-existing condition.” Every major private health plan turned him away. His family was forced to dip into their savings and ask friends and family for help to cover the cost of his testing and chemotherapy treatments. His family faced financial strain until Kalwis discovered that the Affordable Care Act created a temporary program for anyone denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. He enrolled in the program and that fall, Kalwis was able to get the treatment he needed and today is cancer-free.

Kalwis’s story is one of the reasons why President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. No one should be denied health insurance coverage when they need it most.

Unfortunately, many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) still lack health insurance coverage and don’t see a doctor on a regular basis. In fact, in 2010, nearly 24% of Asian Americans and over 37% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders reported that they had not seen a doctor in the past year. Through the Affordable Care Act, nearly 2 million uninsured AAPIs gained access to health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace, and it is likely that eight in 10 will qualify for financial assistance!

So today, I encourage all Americans -- including AAPIs across the country -- who have not enrolled for health insurance to learn more, get engaged, and enroll in health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace by February 15.

read the rest

Learn more about Health Care