# What This Bill Actually Does

This is a symbolic resolution that officially recognizes September 2024 as "Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month." It's not a law that creates new programs or spending—instead, it's Congress expressing support for raising public awareness about sickle cell disease and calling on various government agencies to take action on related issues.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects about 100,000 Americans, with particularly high rates in African American communities (about 1 in 365 African American babies are born with it). The disease causes severe pain, organ damage, and significantly shortened lifespans—people with sickle cell typically live into their late 40s or 50s, compared to the general population. The resolution acknowledges these facts and emphasizes that the disease carries enormous lifetime costs for patients, ranging from $4.2 million to $6.2 million per person.

Beyond just declaring an awareness month, the resolution asks the federal government to do several things: increase funding for sickle cell research through the National Institutes of Health, work to remove barriers that prevent patients from accessing new genetic therapies through Medicare and Medicaid, and create a special cabinet-level task force to coordinate efforts across multiple agencies. It also specifically calls for addressing healthcare bias that sickle cell patients face in the medical system. While these are requests rather than requirements, they signal congressional priorities and encourage the executive branch to prioritize sickle cell disease in policy and funding decisions.

Expressing support for the designation of September 2024 as "Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month" in order to educate communities across the United States about sickle cell disease and the need for research, early detection methods, effective treatments, and preventative care programs with respect to complications from sickle cell disease and conditions related to sickle cell disease.

Davis, Danny K.

<p>This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month and encourages the President to support access to innovative therapies for the disease. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder than can lead to pain, anemia, infections, and stroke.</p>