Celiac disease has no known cure. The only medicine that can alleviate the effects of Celiac Disease is proper food that does not contain gluten. Celiac Disease sees the sufferer's own antibodies attack the lining of the small intestine which results in malnutrition, and which often leads to many other diseases such as diabetes and mental illness. The issue is that gluten free food typically costs 15-20% more than its gluten containing counterparts. This puts an unfair burden on those with Celiac Disease, especially those who do not make a lot of money. Many times they cannot treat themselves effectively because they simply cannot afford to. We would like to see legislation enacted to afford those with Celiac Disease a monthly stipend to be used towards the purchase of gluten free food in much the same way that WIC programs are provided for expectant mothers. Many with Celiac Disease go years not knowing why they continue to be sick and there is a simple solution that we would also like to be included in any legislation: all people born in the United States will be tested for Celiac Disease before the age of 6. The test is a simple blood test and can be included as part of any newborn testing regimen as well as those that are performed on young children during wellness checkups. Those who test positive for Celiac Disease would be eligible for the monthly stipend, or in the case of minors, the parents would be able to register to receive the stipend until the child is no longer a minor. Lastly, as part of any legislation, we would like to see schools in the United States be mandated to provide gluten free school lunches to children as part of their normal offerings. Children who have Celiac Disease must have their lunches packed for them by their parents, and in low income areas this is often impossible because of the prohibitive costs of gluten free food.

Additionally, airports across the US should have Gluten Free food options available to those Celiacs who are traveling. Restaurants should have at least 1 gluten free option available to those who eat out and clearly labeled on the menu. 

There are several other countries in the world with this type of legislation already, namely Canada, The United Kingdom, and Italy, with Italy leading the world in this arena. Their people enjoy extra time away from work for preparation of food and to visit doctors for Celiac Disease as well as a stipend of anywhere between 140 and 184 Euros monthly to pay for foods that the Italian Ministry of Health keeps a registry of. They also do a yearly special census to keep a running tally of the exact number of Italian citizens with Celiac Disease. In the UK, Celiac Disease sufferers receive a prescription from their doctor for food.

In America, we enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. We should ensure that those for whom food is a medicine are covered by the law to provide them the medicine they need to live a normal life. Currently statistics show that 1 in 133 people in the United States have Celiac Disease with some gastroenterologists fearing that that number is closer to 1 in 40. That means that as few as 2.6 million people and as many as 8.75 million people in the United States have Celiac Disease. Join us in ensuring that they have a fair shot at living as healthy a life as possible.