Public Policy Briefing
February 8, 2017
An Invitation for BioNJ Members Attending New Jersey's Chamber Walk to Washington February 16-17
 
Please join BioNJ, Chemistry Council of New Jersey, HealthCare Institute of New Jersey and New Jersey Pharma Task Force at a reception for the New Jersey Congressional Delegation and New Jersey State Legislators on Thursday, February 16, at the Caucus Room in Washington D.C. from 7:30 p.m. -11:30 p.m. For more information, contact Rebecca Perkins, BioNJ Vice President Government Affairs, at 609 -890-3185 or [email protected]. 
Uncertainty is the New Certainty in Washington
 
Reform of the Affordable Care Act, immigration, trade reform and confirmations have dominated the agenda in the first few weeks of the President Trump Administration. The complexity of any one of these issues is proving to be overwhelming for Congress, and all indications point to  much of the same in the weeks and months ahead.  
 
Repeal of the ACA has now morphed into "repeal and replace," and the timeline for completion, by most estimates, has now been moved into 2018. The political realities of removing benefits that many Americans have come to depend upon, as well as the economic consequences of the loss of healthcare funding that would have a severe impact on most state budgets, has slowed ACA action considerably.
 
The administration's agenda on immigration and trade has sparked concern among many, especially for tech companies and research institutions that depend upon the ability to recruit the best talent from anywhere around the globe. With both legal and illegal immigration figuring prominently on the President's agenda, this issue will remain in play and dominate much of this year's Congressional activity.
 
Remaining Cabinet confirmations include Rep. Tom Price as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, whose hearings thus far have been marked by contention over his views on Medicaid reform and ethical questions on stock trades. He is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, although it will probably be a strongly partisan vote, with potential Republican defections. 
Vaccine Myths Reappear on the Radar
 
Speculation about the role of anti-vaccine activists in the Trump Administration is reigniting concern that there will be a resurgence of vaccine myths.  
 
As a Presidential candidate, Donald Trump met with anti-vaccine activists, including discredited British doctor Andrew Wakefield, during his campaign and appeared sympathetic to their issues. It did not emerge as a major campaign theme, but in early January, the President-elect met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an attorney who has actively promoted anti-vaccine views. After the meeting, Kennedy said that he had been asked to lead a "vaccine commission." Trump spokespersons denied this, but said that the President-elect was "exploring the possibility" of such a commission. 
How Safe are Vaccines?
 
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), childhood and adult vaccines are safe and the risks from vaccine-preventable diseases are far greater than from vaccines, which may produce minor, temporary side effects but rarely cause serious health issues.
 
Concern over autism has been linked to the use of mercury in vaccines, specifically thimerasol, a compound containing mercury that is used as a preservative in flu vaccines. In 1999, the U.S. Public Health Service recommended removing thimerasol from all infant vaccines, and today, except for some flu vaccines in multi-dose vials, no recommended childhood vaccines contain thimerosal as a preservative. 
 
The mercury contained in thimerasol is ethylmercury, as opposed to methylmercury. Methylmercury is the kind of mercury found in fish that can be harmful at high levels, while ethylmercury is quickly eliminated from the body, so there is no danger of it being stored and reaching a high level in the body. 
What Are the Effects of Failure to Vaccinate?  
 
Sadly, the impact of failure to vaccinate has already been seen in outbreaks of diseases that were once eliminated from the U.S. population. In 2015,  a measles outbreak at Disneyland in California  resulted  in more than 100 people across multiple states being infected .
 
States with large or dense populations are most at risk. In Texas, for example, there are more than 40,000 non-vaccinated children, increasing the potential of infection not only to themselves, but also to those who can't be vaccinated because they have weak immune systems or immune system disorders.   
 
BioNJ will continue to monitor legislation in Washington and across the country through BIO that would allow increased exemptions from vaccination, thereby posing a threat to improved public health.             
For more information about BioNJ's Public Policy program, please contact Rebecca Perkins, BioNJ Vice President, Government Affairs, at [email protected].  
For more information about BioNJ, visit www.BioNJ.org.