Thanks to new medical innovations, every five years for the past 30 years, life expectancies have been extended by a year. New discoveries have practically eliminated diseases such as smallpox and polio and have reduced human suffering from countless conditions. Scientists have turned their attention to eradicating cancer, heart disease, and diabetes and medical research and resulting innovations are bringing us closer than ever to preventions, treatments, and cures for these and other deadly and disabling diseases.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) predict that in the near future, doctors will have the ability to identify life-threatening diseases years before they strike and that new treatments for cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are just years away from discovery. These breakthroughs will reduce suffering and allow people to live healthier, longer lives. The ability to predict and intervene in the cycles of disease will not only impact countless people but will ultimately reduce long-term health costs for our aging society. Unfortunately, the current NIH budgetary crunch will severely limit the enormous potential to achieve these medical advances and improve the quality of life of all Americans.

As the first members of the Baby Boom generation turn 60, a national dialogue is gaining momentum concerning the impact that our exploding senior demographics will have on our already over-burdened health care system. Our society is aging, living longer, and facing a new challenge of unprecedented levels of chronic disease. The public and policymakers are understandably worried about soaring health care costs and what the future will bring.