Conservatives Should Lead the Way on NIH Funding

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) deserves the support of conservatives in Congress. The fact is that NIH investments have had a remarkable return value for the American taxpayer.

Looking at the recent successes of expanded telehealth and Operation Warp Speed we see how smart government action and public-private sector partnerships pay high health dividends for Americans. Such public health achievements should be the norm, not the exception. It makes sense to examine where government spending gets the biggest bang for the buck. Consequently, Members of Congress should think seriously about increasing the funding for NIH.  

Even with a looming debt ceiling deadline, an increase over the President’s request for NIH funding makes the best policy sense. President Biden proposed budget for the next fiscal year has a 1.9% increase for NIH, a boost of $920 million, yet more is required if we are serious about improving health care for all Americans. Conservatives should step up and boost that number during the appropriations process – what we know from the data is that funding NIH will help save us health care dollars – and improve our lives. Innovation and medical progress will increase access to medical treatment and new medicines – greater access and more invention mean lower health costs and better health outcomes.  

Republicans can’t stay on the sidelines when it comes to medical progress and building a Twenty-first Century healthcare system. Do not abandon the political and intellectual battleground to Bernie Sanders and his allies. America needs a robust public health community to partner with the biopharmaceutical sector, medical providers, and technology firms.   

Proper government investment and funding in NIH will help create a healthcare system where science can thrive and American families have greater access to better health care. For Americans to live longer, healthier lives requires that elected officials do what’s necessary so both the public sector and private sector do what they do best. NIH research has had an unequivocal string of achievements in the areas of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. More science, intelligent investment, and crucial funding have resulted in improved health outcomes.   

There is significant support from key conservatives in both chambers to increase funding for research and treatment. Support for appropriate levels of NIH funding is a long-standing priority for Republicans. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) said back in 2015 on the floor of the U.S. Senate, “biomedical research must be a national priority.” Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced two bills to bolster funding for NIH and announced that “as more Americans and their families are living with the effects of Alzheimer’s, we must keep up this momentum, continue to make critical research investments, and fight for all those impacted by this disease.” On the House side, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Majority Leader, said back in 2013, that “the United States is a world leader in biomedical research, and the NIH plays a vital role in allowing scientists and researchers to continue working to improve and save lives.” Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) said in 2022, “ensuring our nation continues to lead in the research arena is critical for driving faster medical progress and ensuring our competitiveness in the global economy.”

With the debate over the debt limit centered on spending cuts, it’s a tough political environment for proposed increases in any program or line item. For this reason, the GOP should be looking for ways to get the best ROI (return on investment) for the American taxpayer. Polls tells us consistently that the public is keenly interested in lowering healthcare costs while improving access to medical care. Congress can help by promoting what works and reforming or cutting what fails. The NIH works … it’s a bargain.

Let’s take a look at the ledger: Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions cost the nation an estimated $355 billion in 2021. Without a cure, or substantial breakthrough treatment, that cost will likely grow to about $1.1 trillion in 2050. A massive expense. However, if the Congress properly funds the NIH and allows the private sector to innovate, the American public health community – led by NIH – and our best private-sector innovators will find cures and better treatments. It’s more than worth the money. It will save lives.   

With America’s border crisis and the Covid pandemic as background, we have experienced an unprecedented opioid disaster – with record numbers of overdoses and deaths. It was NIH research that led to the development of buprenorphine – medication used to help relieve severe ongoing pain – which has been used effectively to combat opioid addiction.

We are all too familiar with the plight of healthcare deserts in urban America – places where access to medical care is almost nonexistent. We are less aware that the same is true in much of rural America, and unfortunately, rural areas are too often neglected by mainstream media and the political class.

The GOP needs to stand its ground to guarantee that federal resources get to their rural districts and states. Here conservatives must argue that ‘equity’ demands that the health care needs of all Americans be properly considered in the Halls of Congress. This is what Merianne Spencer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and author of a report on opioid overdose death rates, explained: “rural communities typically have worse health outcomes.  For instance, rural communities may have varying experiences that urban communities in terms of access to quality health care or medical resources.” The problems of rural communities in healthcare need to be addressed in the NIH funding appropriations process.

America must work toward having the greatest healthcare system in the world. Politicians need to follow the science while supporting private sector innovations and appropriate public health investments. Most times I consider the term ‘investment’ to be a deceitful euphemism for more spending. However, in the context of medical progress, ‘investment’ is wholly appropriate because American patients will benefit from a substantial ROI in the form of new cures and greater access.   

Our healthcare system is a public good which means government funding is necessary and appropriate. We also know that good health care outcomes and policy require both the public health community and America’s innovative, medical industries. The National Institutes of Health stands at the center of what both the public sector and private sector do best. Congress should increase its funding and the GOP should lead the way.

Jerry Rogers is the editor of RealClearPolicy and RealClearHealth. He is the host of the 'Jerry Rogers Show' on WBAL NewsRadio. Follow him on Twitter @JerryRogersShow.