Senate Releases Merged Health Care Reform Legislation
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this week, following a review by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill proposes to expand health care coverage by requiring most Americans to purchase health insurance coverage; creating new health insurance exchanges for individuals to select insurance plans; and imposing new insurance regulations that limit insurers’ ability to deny or cancel coverage based on pre-existing conditions and health status, and to vary premiums based on age, gender, and other factors.
CBO estimates that the legislation will cost $849 billion, reduce the number of uninsured Americans by 31 million, and cut the federal deficit by $127 billion over the next ten years. Review the CBO analysis of the new legislation here. Review a summary of the bill here.
PA Provisions in Senate Bill
The new Senate bill contains most of the PA provisions included in the Senate Finance and HELP versions of health care reform legislation. The legislation allows PAs to order skilled nursing facility care for Medicare patients. Additionally, the bill reauthorizes the Title VII Health Professions Programs of the Public Health Service Act with a 15% carve out for PA educational programs within the cluster on primary care medicine. The legislation fully integrates PAs into new medical home and chronic care management models of care. The new bill does not contain the Finance Committee provision allowing PAs to provide hospice care for Medicare beneficiaries, a decision that was reportedly prompted by a CBO re-evaluation of cost. (The House-passed health care reform legislation includes the PA hospice provision.) See Call to Action on the PA Hospice Provision.
Senate Timetable
The bill’s first test will be a procedural vote, possibly Saturday, to proceed with debate on the bill. Assuming that Senate leadership is successful in generating 60 votes, debate is expected to begin by Thanksgiving, with a goal of passing the bill by the end of the year and completion of a House-Senate Conference Committee by the end of January.
HHS Secretary Says that New Mammogram Screening Guidelines will not Change Federal Policy
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius assured the public on Wednesday that new mammogram screening recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force will not change federal insurance programs’ mammogram coverage policies. Released earlier this week, the new guidelines recommend that routine mammogram screening begin at age 50 and be conducted every two years. Secretary Sebelius emphasized that the task force is “an outside independent panel of doctors and scientists who…do not set federal policy.” See the Secretary’s statement here.Center for American Progress Report Highlights Role of PAs
A November 2009 report, “Expanding the Primary Care Workforce,” recommends that the U.S maximize the current primary care workforce through better use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, saying that “the primary care shortage requires us to maximize the use of every health care professional to the full extent of their training and competency.” Read more.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Launches Commission to Build a Healthier America
Saying that shortfalls in health affect Americans and the nation’s economy, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced the creation of a new two-year commission to “focus on factors outside the health care system and identify non-medical, evidence-based strategies …to improve the health of all Americans. The commission will be co-chaired by Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., and Alice Rivlin, Ph.D., both at the Brookings Institution. Learn more.APHA Releases 2009 Edition of America’s Health Rankings
The American Public Health Association’s 20th version of America’s Health Rankings is now available. View your state’s ranking or download the entire report here. The report lists Vermont as the healthiest state and Mississippi as the least and finds that while disease treatment is improving, prevention is not. The report estimates the economic cost of obesity for all states.
Take Action: Contact Senators to Urge Inclusion of PA Hospice “Fix”.
The Senate has released its final bill and will begin consideration of the legislation within days. Unlike the House bill and the Senate Finance Committee's language, the final Senate legislation does not contain critically needed language to allow PAs to provide hospice care for Medicare patients.
Please contact your Senators today and urge them to reinsert in the final Senate bill the provision that would allow PAs to provide hospice care for their Medicare patients. While we are pleased to see a number of other PA priorities contained in the Senate bill, such as integrating PAs into new models of care and providing critical support for PA education programs, the hospice provision is a barrier that MUST be eliminated if PAs are to fully provide increased access to quality health care.
Please contact your Senators TODAY.
GAIN – Are You a Member?
Have you joined our Grassroots Advocacy and Information Network (GAIN) yet? Our go-to advocacy corps, GAIN members are speaking out for the profession and making a difference on Capitol Hill. Sign up today and make your voice heard on Capitol Hill.
Key Contacts Still Needed!
A GAIN member mentions in passing that “Rep. So-and-So is a great guy and – oh, by the way – happens to be my neighbor.” And voila – a Key Contact is born! If you have an especially close or longstanding relationship with a Member of Congress, let us know by sending a quick note to Kristin Butterfield. We’ll plug you in to our network as someone to call on when a direct contact with a particular legislator is needed.
Register Now for AAPA’s Capitol Connection – February 22-23, 2010
Join forces with your fellow PAs and PA students in Washington, D.C., for a day on Capitol Hill and the opportunity to deliver an important message to Congress. AAPA's new Capitol Connection (formerly Adventures in Lobbying) conference will be held February 22-23, 2010. Make plans now to attend! Register here.
AAPA Federal Affairs staff is your resource on health care reform and other federal advocacy efforts. Do not hesitate to contact Sandy Harding, AAPA Federal Affairs Director, Kristin Butterfield, Assistant Director of Federal Affairs, or Kimberly Beer, Assistant Director of Federal Affairs, with your questions and suggestions.
