The Ultimate Health Care Solution, and What You Can and Must Do

By Lou Weisbach & Dr. Richard Boxer: Co-originators of American Center for Cures Initiative.

Now is the time to answer the urgent pleas of all Americans: focus on cures. The American Center for Cures (ACC) initiative will strike a permanent, devastating blow to the root cause of the healthcare crisis: disease. As Carol Marin of the Chicago Sun-Times recently said, "the plan is revolutionary in a time that calls for nothing less."

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made remarkable discoveries about the fundamentals of biology. But the time has come to apply that knowledge. The NIH basic research is essential in finding the pieces of the puzzle. The ACC will put the puzzle together. It's time America used its genius, once again, to proactively do the right thing for its citizens and the world.

The ACC will be a public/private mission-driven accountable research institute within the NIH with a by-pass budget and led by the Director of the Cures (formerly named the Director of the NIH), a cabinet-level position. The new position will demonstrate the priority and commitment of the administration and the American people. This will represent real change we can believe in and that will touch our families.

The ACC will fund high risk/high reward research on specific diseases chosen by a Cures Council. Through its Health Advanced Research Projects Agency (similar to DARPA), it will focus on new pathways towards prevention, early diagnosis and cures through research and streamlining the clinical trials process.

Each disease chosen by Cures Council will have a CEO who will be accountable and responsible for a cure within five to seven years. Each disease unit will lead a global mission that will invest in researchers and research institutions to find answers to specific questions. There will also be specially designated funding and coordination with other agencies, institutes, academic centers and the private sector, preventing the "Valley of Death" for under-capitalized, highly creative biomedical companies.

Americans spend at least a trillion dollars treating the effects of diseases and less than five percent of that preventing and finding cures to those diseases. It is not rational. Curing diseases will save taxpayers $400 to $500 billion annually and dramatically reduce the cost of health insurance. This is the 21st Century, proactive, can-do American approach.

The ACC will implement a global mission to cure three diseases within the next five to seven years, including but not limited to: diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, MS, breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and other various forms of cancer, cystic fibrosis, mental disorders, AIDS, autism, etc..

Action Steps for You

If you believe that it's unacceptable that the percentage of Americans dying of cancer has not significantly changed since 1950. If you believe it's unacceptable that no major non-infectious diseases have been reliably, consistently cured in your lifetime. If you believe that the promise of a new cure on your news show never seems to happen. Then demand change. Our representatives in Washington work for us and are spending our money. On behalf of more than the 110 million Americans currently afflicted with disease, demand change. On behalf of our families, demand change. Let all members of the House and Senate know that there cannot be a comprehensive solution to heath care without dealing with the underlying root problem, disease. Demand that the American Center for Cures initiative be at the forefront of health care reform legislation.

It's time for America to start tweeting, Facebooking, writing, and calling to demand change. The power to cure resides within every American's determination to drive this mission forward.

Albert Einstein once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

We can and must do better.

By Lou Weisbach & Dr. Richard Boxer: Co-originators of American Center for Cures Initiative.

 

Comments

[johnsopinion]

Yeah! to all of the above.

And remember, good health is FREE!

[milesz - Huffpost Blogger]

This MUST be carefully considered, for it is an excellent idea that should be part of healthcare reform!

[SILVANUS]

Everywhere I go I see grossly overweight people buying sodas and McDonalds' crap. I have a clean bill of health from the doctor (one of the few non-bought out by the pharmaceutical companies docs I trust), I eat mostly vegetables, exercise frequently, do not watch TV, but I smoke here and there when I create things, so for that I am demonized.

The world is nuts.

Lemmings.

Ciao.

[usna73]

Lou, you can't be serious. You are asking Americans to apply themselves to worthwhile causes, both humanely, economically and rationally.

Good luck getting this any attention within a poulation of roughly half that doesn't embrace evolution.
The science of disease is way out of their grasp.

Pass the beer, it's Monday Night Football night. "What a country."

[lastpost]

With the ability to alter longevity and prevent premature death, something else might be necessitated as well. The capacity to adjust our physical proportions. Until we may migrate outward from this place, a form one half to one third our current size would appear a more practical proposition.

[Hugh-Leighton]

While everyone is arguing over the reforms necessary to fix the health care system, where is the "Government Run" campagne to get people to loose weight? From what I understand, almost one third of the population is over weight. How much money could be saved if everybody cut out cheap junk food? How much revenue would be generated if all junk food was taxed at plus 100% of the retail price?

As to the reform of the Health Care System, that, too is "over weight" and needs to go on a serious diet. How about eliminating "junk money" from the system? That's easily done; just pass a bill that makes it illegal to profit from health care insurance.

Jeeze! That was easy; now what about global warming? Let's see, we are going to have a surplus of cooking oil when they shut down the deep friers, so...

[Carl Caroli]

Focusing strictly on cures is incredibly wasteful and naive - prevention would be a lot cheaper, faster and productive out of the gate. The fact of the matter is many debilitating diseases are a function of bad choices in food and exercise as a result of inadequate education and information. It's akin to trying to find a cure for global climate change rather than addressing the sources of the cause.

[JumperPilot]

I agree. The most prevalent disease in North America is cardiovascular disease, which affects 1 in 3 people. This includes diabetes, stroke, atherosclerosis, hypertension etc. Of these, the single biggest killer is coronary heart disease (1 in 5 deaths). These are largely "treatable" conditions or at least, manageable, with things like weight loss, exercise, healthier lifestyle choices, all of which are viable prevention strategies. While the ACC initiative is quite laudable in its goals, to someone in health research, it’s going to come off as “fad-driven” unless Prevention is a very significant portion of each CEO’s agenda and more realistic goals are set. 5-7 years is simply not a realistic expectation for most or really, any of those diseases listed. That isn't even long enough for a decent clinical trial!

[PlaceboStudman]

I signed the petition and made a donation to this incredibly worthy cause.

Nothing has made me happier than hearing of Obama's grants to the NIH