Medical research advocates seek a stable source of revenue insulated from the roller coaster effect of the annual appropriations process. Several pieces of legislation have been introduced that propose additional funding for biomedical research from a variety of alternative sources. The Health Care Assurance Act, S. 24, would establish a National Fund for Health Research that would be funded through a graduated health premium set-aside. Three separate measures propose to establish trust funds derived from individual taxpayer's returns that they designate for use for specific types of biomedical research. The strategy of using revenue from the sale of postage stamps, while not a trust fund, is another example of alternative sources to increase funding for biomedical research.
All measures are pending.
S. 24 - Health Care Assurance Act of 1999. This fund would be established through a graduated health premium set-aside. S. 296 - The Federal Research Investment Act. This bill proposes a long term strategy for research and development funding for fundamental scientific, medical, and engineering research that calls for a 2.5 percent annual increase above the rate of inflation for the years FY 1999 through FY 2010, and stipulates that no funds may be made available under the Act in a manner that does not conform with the discretionary spending caps. H.R. 785 - Biomedical Research Assistance Voluntary Option Act.