SUBJECT: Neurosurgery Support for H.R. 1553, Ellie’s Law
Dear Representative Clarke,
On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological
Surgeons (CNS), we are pleased to offer our support of your legislation, H.R. 1553, Ellie’s Law.
As you know, an estimated 6.5 million people in the United States, or one in 50 people, have an
unruptured brain aneurysm. Each year, an estimated 30,000 people in the U.S. suffer a brain aneurysm
rupture, 50 percent of which are fatal. Of those who survive, about 66 percent suffer some permanent
neurological deficit. Additionally, the economic toll on survivors, their caretakers and the health care
community is significant, with the direct cost to patients reaching approximately $1.4 billion. Shockingly,
this amount does not reflect indirect costs such as travel, food, childcare or wage losses for patients and
caretakers. Despite these startling statistics, the federal government spends only $2.08 per American
afflicted with the disease each year. Notwithstanding its widespread prevalence, the federal funding for
brain aneurysm research is almost non-existent.
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