U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to Letter About National Pain Care Policy Act

Dear Mr. Lopez:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the "National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009." I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

On March 19, 2009, Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) introduced the "National Pain Care Policy Act" (S. 660), which seeks to improve pain care research, education, training, and access. S. 660 would authorize an Institute of Medicine Conference on pain care, and create a grant program to help educate and train healthcare professionals to better assess and manage pain. Currently, S. 660 is pending in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. While I am not a member of this committee, please know that I will keep your comments in mind should this legislation come before the full Senate.

Again, thank you for contacting me. If you should have any further comments or questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours, Dianne Feinstein
        United States Senator
Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/. You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list at http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ENewsletterSignup.Signup.

A message from Jerry McNerney

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Being a migraine sufferer, I thought posting this would be appropriate. The Following is a letter I received from congressional representative Jerry McNerney. In response to a letter I wrote in regards to increase funding for the NIH to do more headache research. The letter writing was headed by the Alliance For Headache Disorders Advocacy.

April 15, 2009

Dear Mr. Lopez,

Thank you for contacting me regarding headaches. It is helpful to learn the views of my neighbors in California, and I value your input.

Our nation's health care should be the best in the world, and it will take common sense policies to ensure that we reach that goal. Prevention of disease, illness, and injury is a critical first action that can help trim medical costs for families and is a key element in improving quality of life for all people. In addition, providing affordable, accessible, and available health care options is an important step towards improving health care.

Seven in 10 people have at least one headache a year, and forty-five million Americans suffer from chronic headaches. I am committed to adequately funding the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), two life saving agencies that conduct research and work to find cures for conditions such as chronic headaches.

For that reason, I voted for and the President signed the final fiscal year 2009 government spending bill. This bill includes more than $30 billion for the National Institutes of Health, the leading medical research institution in the United States. It is important for the federal government to play an active role combating chronic diseases, and as Congress considers future legislation, I will factor your recommendations into my decision making.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective on this issue. For a monthly update on my events around your neighborhood and the issues I am working on in Congress, I encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter at www.mcnerney.house.gov. While visiting my website, you can also learn about other actions that I have taken to better represent you.

Sincerely,

Jerry McNerney
Member of Congress

Please do not reply to this message as the mailbox is unattended.
If you wish to contact me again, please visit my website at http://mcnerney.house.gov