Stony Brook Medicine Leadership Heads to DC to Advocate for Timely Research and Healthcare Priorities
On Wednesday, February 12, Executive Vice President of Stony Brook Medicine William Wertheim joined SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. in the nation’s capital to advocate for timely federal priorities with members of the New York congressional delegation and staff. Among the topics discussed included the devastating impact of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s recent guidance to cap indirect cost rates at 15% for new and existing grants, and the need to protect safety-net hospitals from Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) cuts.
The meetings came at a critical time as the higher education and research community aggressively pushed back early this week against NIH’s new F&A guidance through both litigation and engaging Congress.
“Implementing the NIH’s new 15% cap on Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs would significantly undermine Stony Brook University’s research capabilities,” said Wertheim. “Just a few of Stony Brook’s lifesaving research areas that would be substantially reduced include cancer research, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia.” Additionally, Wertheim expressed that there would be a loss in reimbursement for actual research costs of $17 million at Stony Brook if the new NIH guidance is implemented. If the approach taken by NIH is extended to all federal agencies, Stony Brook would lose about $27 million per year.
During the Hill meetings, Wertheim also stressed the urgency of passing bipartisan legislative language during upcoming federal budget negotiations planned for March to prevent massive cuts to New York hospitals’ Medicaid DSH payments. Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) funding helps preserve access to care at hospitals and health systems, like Stony Brook University Hospital, that serve the most vulnerable populations. The no-cost bipartisan legislative language Wertheim advocated for would mitigate the unintended impact of a provision included in Section 203 of the FY21 Consolidated Appropriations bill. An unintended consequence of Section 203 is that it cuts DSH payments for hospitals that incur significant uncompensated costs for their low-income dually eligible Medicare patients. As a result, Stony Brook University Hospital will lose about $50M this year, and that loss will continue to grow.
During the advocacy day, Wertheim met with Rep. Nick LaLota, and senior staff of Senator Chuck Schumer, Congressman Tom Suozzi, and Congresswoman Laura Gillen. SBU’s Office of Federal Relations located in Washington, DC, coordinated these meetings and will continue to work closely with the New York congressional delegation, federal agencies, and the new Administration to advocate for all Stony Brook’s federal priorities.