National Plan for Epilepsy Act

Key Points

• This bill, introduced in Congress, would create the first "National Plan for Epilepsy." The goal is to organize federal efforts to prevent, diagnose, and eventually cure the brain disorder. It requires the government to create a master plan that is updated regularly to keep up with new medical discoveries.
• The plan focuses on helping the 3.4 million Americans living with epilepsy, including nearly 456,000 children. Because 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime, this policy aims to improve the quality of life for millions of families and caregivers who deal with the daily challenges of seizures.
• A new Advisory Council would be formed to give the government expert advice. This group would include doctors and researchers, but also four people living with different types of epilepsy and two family caregivers. This ensures that the people actually living with the condition have a voice in how research and care are handled.
• The policy addresses the high cost of the disorder, which currently totals more than $54 billion a year in the U.S. By coordinating research across agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the CDC, the government hopes to find better treatments for the 30% of patients whose seizures are not currently controlled by medicine.
• Every year, the government would have to report to Congress on what progress has been made. These reports must include recommendations on how to reduce the financial burden on families and how to eliminate unfair differences in the quality of care people receive across the country.