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Tell the Senate the Finance Health Reform Bill Falls Short
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Send a Letter Now! Take Action!
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The Senate is preparing to act on health care reform legislation. The "America's Healthy Choices Act" falls far short of the reforms needed to improve the health care system for our patients, specifically preserving access to physicians.
As physicians on the front line of health care, it is imperative that you reach out to your Senators today and let them know that in order for reform to be meaningful, the Senate must create a fair and equitable Medicare physician payment policy, ensure access to affordable health coverage for every American, create a health care system that promotes the patient-physician relationship, secure the future physician workforce and implement meaningful medical liability reforms.
Make your voices heard - send a letter now!
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October 05, 2009
TAKE ACTION
The Senate Finance Committee has released their proposed health care reform bill and the process of amending the proposal has begun. On the other side of the nation's Capitol, the House of Representatives continues to refine their proposals in Committee before sending a final bill to the full House for a vote.
As part of the AOA's effort to keep osteopathic physicians and students up to date and provide a forum to have their questions answered, the AOA will host its third web-based Town Hall Meeting on the ongoing health reform debate. This event will provide an up-to-date analysis of the proposals being discussed and how they fit into the AOA's legislative and advocacy agenda.
Register Now!
Click here to register now for this important event and take advantage of the opportunity to submit your questions in advance to:
govt-issues@osteopathic.org
Sebelius Releases Guidance on Liability for H1N1 Vaccine
On June 25, 2009 HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued a declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for use of the H1N1 vaccines, providing immunity to physicians and other covered persons from lawsuits under State and Federal law with respect to claims (except for willful misconduct) arising from the administration or use of the vaccine.
The first available doses of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine are expected by mid- October. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the following people are considered high priority groups for initial vaccination:
- Ages 6 months to 24 years;
- Ages 25-64 years who are pregnant or who have certain medical conditions such as heart or lung disease, diabetes, weakened immune systems, blood disorders, neurologic or neuromuscular disease, and other illnesses;
- Parents and caregivers of children less than 6 months of age;
- Health care workers and emergency personnel.
The H1N1 vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine. It is intended to be used alongside seasonal flu vaccine to protect people. Seasonal flu and novel H1N1 vaccines may be administered on the same day.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), it will take until Thanksgiving to fully immunize people against H1N1 because most will need to undergo two vaccinations. The first vaccine would be given in mid-October and the second would be given three weeks later. To build up full immunity to the virus will take about two weeks.
According to the CDC Web site, the symptoms of the H1N1 virus include fever, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people with the virus have reported diarrhea and vomiting.
Carol Monaco ( cmonaco@osteopathic.org)
Senate Finance to Complete Work on Health Care Reform
After two weeks of debate over amendments to the Chairman's Mark in the Senate Finance Committee, that version of the bill has been completed and a vote is expected next week. A total of 142 amendments were considered. The most controversial components for the AOA were the lack of a permanent fix to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and the establishment of an Independent Medicare Commission (IMC) to set physician payment rates.
With respect to the SGR, the Senate finance package includes only a .5% update for 2010, which would revert back in 2011, at which point physicians would face a scheduled cut of approximately twenty-five percent. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has indicated that she will introduce an amendment for a long-term fix on the Senate floor. This remains a top priority for the AOA moving forward and we continue to work with members in both the Senate and House to ensure its inclusion in the final bill. The House version, H.R. 3200 included a comprehensive overhaul of the payment formula that is strongly supported by the AOA.
Earlier this week the Senate Committee confirmed that a deal cut with hospitals included an exemption from the IMC rate-setting provisions. This exemption was not accounted for by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in its initial score and is expected to increase costs by approximately $11 billion. The AOA believes that the Medicare program should function as a holistic system in which spending targets consider all parts, rather than imposing budget neutrality solely on Part B. In one of the final amendments considered by the Committee, a modification to the Chairman's Mark intended to clarify the language stated that the Commission is advised to seek reductions in expenditures for Parts C and D. This was largely a rhetorical change and does not eliminate the exemption for hospitals. The AOA strongly opposes the IMC provision overall and is working in conjunction with other physician organizations to eliminate it from the final bill.
Two amendments offered by more liberal members of the Finance Committee that would have established a public plan option were rejected on Wednesday. However, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced a significantly scaled back version on Thursday that passed by a vote of 12-11. The proposal would give states the option of offering a public option to individuals at 133-200% of the poverty level. The concept is loosely based on a program in Washington State that would require states to negotiate rates with providers. The AOA is examining the proposal but does not believe that a public option is necessary to achieve a competitive marketplace for insurers.
The bill will be scored by CBO and then returned to the Committee for a final vote this week. Following its passage, the legislation will be merged with the version passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated that the final bill will reach the Senate floor the week of October 12th.
The AOA believes that the Senate Finance Committee's bill falls well short of meeting our goals for health care reform. We will continue to advocate for those policies contained in the House version that would strengthen the physician workforce, provide equitable reimbursements and ensure that all Americans have access to physician care.
Charlene MacDonald ( mailtcmacdonald@osteopathic.org)
Continuing to Define "Meaningful Use" of HIT
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) creates two key concepts to determine whether eligible professionals qualify for the HIT incentive payments. As discussed previously, they must make "meaningful use" of HIT and use a qualified or certified electronic health record.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing the proposed rule on meaningful use to be published in December. The rule will have a 60 day comment period; with the final rule will be published by May 2010. The agency will examine input received from both of the HIT federal advisory committees and the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) to establish a basic obtainable level of meaningful use for 2011. It is anticipated 2011 criteria would include evidence that clinicians have purchased and are using electronic health records. For 2013, the focus would be on process measures, and in 2015, the focus would be on health care outcomes.
The HIT Policy Committee is planning to hear testimony at its October meeting on the mapping of core meaningful use objectives and existing measures to medical specialties, small practices and small hospitals. It is also anticipated that the October meeting of the NCVHS Workgroup on Quality will include a discussion on measures for meaningful use.
With regard to certification, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) will be developing two rules for publication in December. One rule will be an interim final rule published on certification standards and criteria. The other will be a proposed rule defining the certification process. It is anticipated that both rules will have either a 30 or 60 day comment period and the final rules will be published in spring 2010.
Angela Jeansonne (jeansonne@osteopathic.org)
Federal Site Provides Physicians All-Hazards Event Updates
The Homeland Security Information Network-Healthcare and Public Health (HSIN-HPH) Web portal provides timely information to health professionals to help prepare and respond to disease outbreaks and other public health events. The site provides continuous updates and alerts during all-hazard events as well access to subject matter experts.
As a member of the Healthcare Sector Coordinating Council of the Department of Homeland Security, AOA member Tim Pinsky, DO invites colleagues to register for access to the HSIN-HPH Web portal by going to https://connect.hsin.gov/hph/event/registration.html. Please retain your password as it will be required to access the Web site initially.
Susan Friedman (sfriedman@osteopathic.org)
Hill Fact:
The five congressional districts in which the most votes were cast in 2008:
- Montana (At Large): 480,900
- Florda (5th District): 433,632
- North Carolina (4th District): 419,698
- Colorado (6th District): 413,516
- Minnesota (6th District): 404,725
Brandon Fuller (bfuller@osteopathic.org)
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New documents have been posted to the Department of Government Relations document repository. To view the repository, please click on the following:
Department of Government Relations Document Repository
This site is not accessible via DO-Online, you must use the link above to view the documents.
REMINDER: There will be no Government Relations conference call in the month of June due to already scheduled affiliate meetings. In addition, due to the House of Delegates meeting, a July conference call will likely not be held, unless events dictate otherwise. We will keep you informed of any news regarding the July conference call in future communications.
Leann Fox
Director, Washington Advocacy and Communications
American Osteopathic Association
1090 Vermont Ave, NW, Suite 510
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 414-0140 | (202) 544-3525 Fax
lfox@osteopathic.org
For Future Planning Purposes: Government Relations conference calls are held on the third Monday of every month at 12pm Eastern unless otherwise indicated.
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