May. The government witness hearings concluded at the end of April. The Society will also submit its written testimony to this subcommittee. R - Ore. Please see related story that features Sen. Harkin receiving the 1997 Decade of the Brain Award. If enacted, the Fund would increase our nation's investment in medical research by almost 50 percent. And we ought to begin by doing what any smart business would do invest in research and development.
Health research is the key to preventing disease and disability.
It is an essential underpinning of quality health care and cost-effective treatments. Joining Sens. Harkin and Specter at the press conference was actor Bob Saget, who noted that he became a strong advocate for increased funding for medical research when his sister was diagnosed with and then later died from scleroderma. Actor Christopher Reeve, although not present at the press conference, sent a letter that Sen. Harkin read endorsing the effort. The improved health of the American people that will result from more research will, of course, more than repay the insurance carriers. According to the proposal, health insurance plans would set aside roughly 1 percent of all health premiums that would go to the Fund.