Lung Health Champions Converge on Capitol Hill to Protect Lifesaving Care, Coverage and Federal Public Health Programs

On September 10, the American Lung Association will host its third Respiratory Advocacy Day, bringing together patient advocates living with lung disease in Washington, D.C., to share their personal stories with members of Congress and to advocate for critical public health and healthcare priorities. 

This year’s event comes amid deep funding and staff cuts to federal public health agencies, ongoing smoke from wildfires, the largest measles outbreak in more than 30 years and the worst flu season in more than a decade – conditions that severely impact individuals living with chronic respiratory diseases. 

In the United States, there are more than 11.7 million people with COPD, almost 28 million people with asthma (including 4.8 million children), and approximately 100,000 individuals with pulmonary fibrosis. Each year, 500 to 1,000 people are diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension. These individuals need ongoing access to affordable, quality healthcare to stay healthy, and are more vulnerable to seasonal respiratory illness outbreaks and poor air quality. 

“This past year has brought unprecedented challenges for the more than 35 million individuals living with lung disease in the U.S.,” said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. “Our Respiratory Advocacy Day Lung Health Champions, united from every corner of the country, are courageously sharing their powerful voices with decision makers, advocating in support of therapies and healthcare coverage that allow them to live active, healthy lives, and federal programs that provide support and interventions for common respiratory diseases.”

On Wednesday, Respiratory Advocacy Day Lung Health Champions will specifically ask their members of Congress to: 

• Cosponsor the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act to improve access to supplemental oxygen in Medicare. Currently, portable liquid oxygen—allowing for mobility and a more active life—is nearly impossible to access through Medicare.
• Support the extension of enhanced healthcare tax credits to ensure millions of people can continue to afford their healthcare coverage. These tax credits help people buy healthcare plans on the Marketplace by reducing or eliminating their premiums, based on income.
• Protect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its lifesaving public health programs, including the National Asthma Control Program, which works to reduce emergency department visits, hospitalizations and missed work and school days due to asthma. 

In addition, Respiratory Advocacy Day participants will attend training sessions and meet with other lung health advocates. In the future, they will be invited to engage in local, state and federal advocacy efforts through the Lung Association’s Lung Action Network.

The American Lung Association developed Respiratory Advocacy Day to complement the success of LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day. As a part of LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day, LUNG FORCE Heroes have successfully advocated for an additional $500 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) lung cancer research funding—a 142% increase.

Learn more about Respiratory Advocacy Day and see how you can get involved at Lung.org/rad.