Support continued federal funding
You can help ensure the continuation of federal funding for Be The Match programs! Let elected officials know that federal funding is necessary to continue our life-saving mission of delivering cures to patients with blood cancers and other deadly diseases.
Federal funding for the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, operated by Be The Match, is determined by Congress each year. During the appropriations process, the Congress listens to constituents, evaluates the need for funding and takes into account the overall federal budget before deciding how federal funds are divided among various federal programs.
Federal funding saves lives
Every dollar allocated to Be The Match by the Congress goes to:
- Increasing the number of donors and cord blood units available through the national Be The Match Registry
- Continuing to simplify processes and systems to reduce time to transplant, providing the patient and their physician the therapy the patient needs exactly when they need it
- Protecting access to transplant by allowing NMDP to pursue our vision of achieving equal and successful outcomes for all
Congress has maintained its commitment to patients who need a life-saving transplant by allocating funds every year.
Current appropriations cycle
Every year, each Member of Congress may make requests about various federal programs that are funded through the annual appropriations process. For FY2023, National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match is asking Congress to increase funding that will be used to expand patient access to transplant with programs like HLA Today. The HLA Today pilot program has been an unqualified success. It has resulted in a nearly 26 percent increase in referrals to a transplant center for ethnically diverse patients, a population that has not historically been recommended for transplant at the same rate as white patients.
Increased Congressional funding would support the extended launch of HLA Today to more communities nationwide, opening the possibility of a transplant to more patients in rural and underserved communities.
NMDP/Be The Match is entrusted and under contract to operate the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program. This program and the National Cord Blood Inventory are funded through the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill.
The appropriation process generally follows these steps:
Historical Appropriations
- Be The Match appropriations requests
- President's budget for FY18
- Actions Congress has taken on the spending bill
- Dr. Jeffrey Chell, CEO testimony to the Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee hearing
- Congress: make marrow transplants accessible for older Americans.
- What happens when Medicare won't pay for your life-saving cure?
- Medicare, cover seniors' stem-cell transplants.
- Fix Medicare rules to make bone-marrow transplants more accessible for older Americans.
- Marrow Donor Program Disappointed By Proposed Hospital Pay Rule.
- Bone Marrow-Donor Program to Ask Congress To Hike Pay For Transplants
- Congress, fund key cancer programs.
- Reader advocates additional funding sought for marrow donor registry.
- Op-Ed: Seniors Need Marrow Transplants, too.