The 112th Congress
On January 5, members of Congress were sworn in on Capitol Hill beginning the first session of the 112th Congress.  The American Heart Association will work with all Members of Congress and with the Administration to promote policies that help improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans.

Here are three policy priorities we need your help on today!

• Help prevent childhood obesity by asking your Members to support the FIT Kids Act…  Take Action >>
• Remind you Members that research saves lives… Take Action >>
• Support policies that allow children to walk and bike safely to school …Take Action >>

Learn more about our comprehensive policy agenda for the 112th Congress below:

Current Legislative & Regulatory Agenda | Regulatory Comments & Testimony | Policy Successes

Where We Focus

AHA’s federal policy work is aimed at improving the lives of Americans suffering from heart disease and stroke or those at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. The legislative and regulatory policies we promote represent our best opportunities to achieve our mission - building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. 

Federal advocacy work is centered on five central priorities:  support for research, the promotion of cardiovascular health through measures aimed at prevention, fostering health care quality and value, ensuring access to appropriate, affordable, and timely care, and measures aimed at improving stroke prevention and treatment. 

	Research AHA advocates for stable, meaningful and predictable funding for the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Center on Health Statistics. Due in large part to NIH-funded research, death rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke have dropped respectively by 63% and 70% in the last 30 years, with even more promising results on the horizon.			Prevention AHA advocates for proven preventive measures aimed at improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans. Our areas of focus include: obesity, physical activity and nutrition; tobacco; hypertension; air pollution; and public funding for prevention. By making a few simple changes in their day-to-day lives and receiving early diagnosis and treatment, most people can dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke and even add years to their lives.
	Quality Care AHA advocates for policies and programs aimed at improving health care quality and delivery for all Americans, including promoting health equity, for both minorities and women with heart disease, and promoting evidenced based, high quality cardiovascular care.  We also support stroke prevention and treatment programs, as well as rehabilitation services and telemedicine.			Access To Care AHA advocates for timely access to lifesaving care for heart disease and stroke with a focus on adequate and affordable health care coverage, appropriate systems of emergency care for stroke, STEMI, and sudden cardiac arrest.  We also promote the expanded use of CPR and automated external defibrillators (AED’s) as part of a coordinated emergency response plan and cardiovascular surveillance systems to monitor data and address gaps.

Stroke At the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA), we’re fighting every day for public policies to improve the treatment of stroke, enhance stroke research, and ensure access to needed care.  ASA advocates for the creation and enhancement of high quality stroke systems of care, providing patients with a seamless transition from one stage of care to the next.  Key elements of a stroke system of care include: prevention; community education; notification and response of emergency medical services for stroke; acute treatment for stroke; sub-acute stroke care and secondary prevention for stroke; and rehabilitation of stroke patients.