Here's a good look at the battles that happen between different "disease lobbies" who try to maximize spending on their preferred malady (be it cancer, HIV/AIDS, or whatever). Increasingly, this includes taking cases directly to members of Congress rather than to the different agencies set up to fund that research. $1,000 in lobbying seems to correspond to $25,000 in research funds. It's a terrific look at the networks that develop around spending items.
Special attention is given to the recently signed Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act.
Here's an additional look at how the sequester might impact funding for research on disease in general. Might there be increasingly contentious fights over limited resources? Let's hope if you get sick you get sick with a disease that has forceful advocates.
credit: The Dish.
