Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Chris Stewart (R-UT), Co-Chairs of the Congressional COPD Caucus, have composed a “Dear Colleague” letter that they are sending to their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives asking them to join this bipartisan, bicameral caucus in order to work together to fight the burden of COPD in a coordinated, evidence-based fashion.
The Congressional COPD Caucus is a forum for members of Congress to discuss the needs of the 16-30 million Americans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and to advance solutions that will improve their health and quality of life while reducing the impacts of the disease on the healthcare system. Since its formation in 2004, the Congressional COPD Caucus has a strong record in introducing, supporting, and passing legislation that improves the lives of those with COPD and improving our nation’s health.
The COPD Caucus has been successful in supporting new federal regulations to ease air travel for those with supplemental oxygen, passing legislation to make pulmonary rehabilitation a permanent benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, and encouraging enhanced data collection that has made it possible to understand more about COPD’s impact. These efforts have drastically improved the lives of people with COPD. Most recently, the COPD Caucus was instrumental in moving the process forward to create a National Action Plan for COPD that now serves as a framework for public and private action that can create a transformational phase in the fight against COPD. The Caucus’ role in urging the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop this plan greatly accelerated our nation’s response to the growing burden of COPD.
The U.S. COPD Coalition is asking everyone with an interest in reducing the prevalence of COPD to reach out to your Senators and Representative to ask them to join the Congressional COPD Caucus. Your voice counts!
Click on the link below to see Representatives Stewart and Lewis’ Dear Colleague letter:
https://uscopdcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/COPD-Caucus-Dear-Colleague-Letter.pdf