Bush Budget Jeopardizes Research
to Improve Health Care

WASHINGTON - Following the release of President Bush's FY 2003 budget today, the Coalition for Health Services Research expressed concern over the Administration's budget cut of $49 million from the current budget of $299 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

"Clearly, this is a devastating blow," said Dr. David Helms, President of the Coalition for Health Services Research. "The American health system provides the best health care in the world. But we have serious and growing shortcomings in access, cost, and quality." Health services research reduces medical errors, improves care for those suffering with chronic illness, and eliminates medical disparities. As the lead federal agency that supports and conducts health services research, AHRQ enables these advancements to be translated into clinical practice nationwide.

"At a time when health care costs are rapidly increasing and we may be facing growing numbers of uninsured, we should be renewing, not reducing, our commitment to health services research to help us find practical solutions to these problems," said Dr. Gail Wilensky, Chair of the Coalition's Board of Directors.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush stated that Americans know that economic security can vanish in an instant without health security. "Health security will not be achieved without research into critical areas of health care delivery--namely assuring that all Americans have affordable access to the high quality health care they need," said Dr. Helms. "Cutting the AHRQ budget at this important time means that research into possible solutions to the challenges facing our health care system will not go forward."

Established as the advocacy arm of AcademyHealth, the Coalition promotes research to improve the nation's health care system.

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