1.28.10: Bill Tracking Tool

There are a handful of new bills added since last week. You'll see the Nurse Educator Loan Repayment bill passed the Education Committee, but was amended slightly. There are also a couple of bills that have been introduced that deal with donating prescription medications to healthcare facilities. We also see the repeat introduction of allowing the state to purchase insurance across state lines (3rd year in a row). As always, everything in this document is subject to change and those bills without a CRHC position mean that the Policy & Legislative Council have not formally discussed them.

More fun to come......

National Rural Health Association Policy Institute Recap

Welcome back to Colorado!
I spent the past 4 days in Washington D.C., participating in the National Rural Health Association's (NRHA) Policy Institute. It was an amazing experience! Monday was spent learning about key rural health provisions that have lapsed for rural providers (bonus Medicare payments), in addition to learning about other important issues impacting rural healthcare entities. One issue in particular that CRHC will be providing comment on involves the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) ruling on "meaningful use" in regards to HIT funds. The comment period will close on March 1st and we may be asking some of you for your input and feedback to submit to CMS. Stay tuned for more information about this proposed rule.....

Tuesday consisted of Hill visits with a delegation of Coloradans who educated healthcare staffers and some of our congressional leaders on rural healthcare concerns. I tell you what folks, we have some amazing champions on our side in Washington. Senator Udall and his healthcare staffer were extremely savvy and aware of the needs and issues surrounding rural Coloradans having the ability to access healthcare services. Big thanks to the Senator and his office for drafting the Rural Physcian Pipeline Act, which would provide grants for Rural Training Track programs in medical schools in efforts to improve the healthcare workforce practicing in rural areas. Senator Bennet and his healthcare staffer were also very knowledgable about rural healthcare needs and have also drafted a bill with some extrememly important rural provisions that will hopefully be passed regardless of healthcare reform.

Our group also met with Congressman Lamborn's staff, Congresswoman Markey's staff, and Congressman Salazar's office (see pic above). Our message focused on the importance of Rural Health Clinics to our healthcare safety net and providing equity in reimbursement rates for rural providers.

Now that I'm back home (thank goodness! loved lobbying on Capitol Hill, but D.C. is an odd, odd city) I'm catching up on all the fun that is happening at our state capitol and will be updating the CRHC bill tracker as soon as I can. Enjoy!

1.21.10 Bill Tracking Tool Update

I'm leaving for Washington D.C. this weekend, so thought I'd update the bill tracking tool one more time before I leave. Next update will occur next Thursday. Keep in mind, the hearing dates/times are subject to change and you can always listen to the hearings online by visiting the audio/video section of the Colorado General Assembly website.

You may access the bill tracking tool by clicking on the title of this post.

1.21.10 - Federal Healthcare Reform Update

Politics has always been a bit exhausting to watch, but the next few weeks are going to challenge even the most ardent political fans. With Scott Brown winning the Senate seat this week in Massachusetts, the future of federal healthcare reform is up in the air and the stories of what is to come change from minute to minute. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, came out today and said the House would not pass the Senate's healthcare reform proposal as is, which would be the easiest and fastest way for Congress to get health reform passed. Since the Senate proposal has already passed the Senate, it would not need to be re-voted on in that chamber, but it would have to pass a vote in the House. With the Speaker of the House saying that is not an option, at least right now, stay tuned for more political madness in the upcoming weeks.

CRHC Bill Tracking Tool

We are already a week into the 2010 Legislative Session! CRHC is currently following 10 bills; nine of which will impact access to healthcare in rural Colorado (one of the bills will impact non-profit organizations). I will be updating this bill tracking list at least on a weekly basis and will post updates here. My goal is to keep the Tool as current as possible. Also, you'll see CRHC has taken positions on certain bills, while others are blank. This means that we are currently considering taking a position on that piece of legislation or are remaining neutral on the bill. A position of monior merely means that we are tracking the progress of the bill and will decide to take a more active role if it appears necessary.

To access the Bill Tracking Tool, click on the title of this blog or this link.

CRHC will also be doing calls to action once bills that we are actively involved with are up for hearing. I will be posting that information here. We also now have a service that should allow you to easily send an email to your elected officials.

Stay tuned as we move forward during the 2010 Legislative Session and work to improve access to healthcare services for rural Coloradans!

Federal Health Reform Update

All eyes are on Massachusettes today as the state is holding a special election to fill Senator Ted Kennedy's seat. Early polls were showing that the Republican candidate, Scott Brown, was ahead of the Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley. The significance of this election comes down to if the Senate will continue to have a supermajority of 60 votes. If Brown wins, the Republicans would have enough members in the Senate to successfully filibuster future legislation, including the healthcare reform bill. This does not mean that healthcare reform is dead, but it would put a big wrinkle in Democrats plans.

It is important to note that it is still possible to pass healthcare reform. The most viable way is to utilize the Senate bill as the base bill. The House would be required to pass the Senate bill without any amendments. The Senate, since it already passed this bill, would not need to act again and would therefore not need to overcome a likely future filibuster. If the identical Senate bill is passed in the House, it could then be sent to the President’s desk for signature. Would the House accept the Senate bill as-is? Still uncertain, but with pressure from the White House, and the “it’s this or nothing” ultimatum - - it’s a likely scenario.

If the House rejects the Senate bill as-is, Democratic leaders will likely try to woo a moderate Republican such a Olympia Snowe to be the 60th vote. (This may prove to be a little tough.) Additionally, there is a possibility that the MA Democratic Governor may wait several weeks to certify the election results if Brown wins, that is, not certify the election results until after health care reform is signed into law. (This avenue would subject the Democrats to significant criticism and is likely not the path many want to take).

The fun continues! Stay tuned........

Democrats Hope to Have Health Care Deal by Friday

CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE – HEALTH
Jan. 14, 2010 – 2:04 p.m.

Democrats Hope To Have Health Care Deal by Friday

Congressional leaders hope to reach a deal on the broad outlines of a final health care bill by Friday, and they are looking to President Obama to sell it — not only to their members but also to the public.

Democratic leaders and committee chairmen from both chambers planned to return to the White House at mid-afternoon Thursday for more negotiations on the major sticking points between the House and Senate bills.

Click HERE to read this article in its entirety.

The 2010 Colorado State Legislature Begins!

Today kicks off the 67th Colorado General Assembly. Our state is facing a budget shortfall of over $1 billion, which is sure to make the next few months an extremely challenging yet interesting session. The fun begins this morning at 10am and you can watch the opening comments & speeches online at The Colorado Channel.

The Colorado Rural Health Center will be tracking and following healthcare bills throughout the session and are working on providing you with an easy way to contact your elected officials to let them know how potential legislation will impact you. A legislative bill tracking matrix will be posted here and on our website.

CRHC's priorities for the upcoming session will focus on educating policy makers about the importance of Rural Health Clinics and Critical Access Hospitals as part of the healthcare safety net, working to protect clinics and providers from experiencing further provider rate cuts, and advocating on behalf of rural Coloradans to ensure everyone in the state of Colorado has access to healthcare services.

Rural Detoxification Services - Policy Brief & Full Report

The Rural Health Research & Policy Centers has published a policy brief and full report describing the lack of detoxification services in rural areas. Conducted by the Maine Rural Health Research Center, the data collected shows that few detox providers (n=235) serve rural America and that 82% of rural residents live in a county without a detox provider.

To read the policy brief and full report in its entirety, please click HERE.

Colorado Broadband Access Map

Listed below is a press release from the Governor’s Office of Information Technology announcing the online broadband access map. This mapping project was mandated by the passage of SB08-215 in recognition of the importance of broadband for economic development, and begins the process of expanding broadband access by first identifying those communities which do NOT have such access.

This map will provide the basis for securing additional federal funding (ARRA stimulus funding and otherwise) to deploy broadband in Colorado’s rural communities. To that end, it is important that you take time to view the initial map which has just been posted and provide input as to its accuracy and your personal perspective on the availability of broadband in your area.

Please visit the Connect Colorado webpage and do TWO things:
1) Click on the “Mapping” tab and view the “Interactive Map” by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. You can ZOOM in with this map to view how much broadband access is attributed to YOUR area. (Refer to the legend in the left-hand margin to interpret the color codes associated with the various broadband carriers.)
2) From either the “Home” page of the “Mapping” page, click on the 4 ‘bubbles’ on the right side and provide your first-hand perspective about the availability of broadband in your area and the importance of it to you and your community. Your input will help refine the map (which will be continuously updated every 6 months) and will help Colorado in its efforts to secure more federal funding to expand broadband access throughout the state.

You may also send a copy of your comments to Dara Hessee in the Office of Information Technology at: dara.hessee@state.co.us

Case Study: Project ECHO Expands Access to Specialty Care for Rural Patients

Summary: An innovative project in New Mexico uses telemedicine, case-based learning, and disease management techniques to expand access to care for patients with hepatitis C and other chronic, complex conditions. Specialty providers based at the University of New Mexico help guide rural community providers in applying best practices to manage care. The community providers build their knowledge of particular conditions and serve as expert consultants in their regions.

To read the article in its entirety, click HERE.