Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
House Passes Markey-Perriello Bill to End Monopoly Protections for Health Insurers
Key bi-partisan health care reform bill passes 406-19
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 406-19 to pass H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, introduced by Congresswoman Betsy Markey and Congressman Tom Perriello. The two-page bill repeals the special anti-trust exemption that health insurance companies have enjoyed since 1945, and will restore competition to the health insurance market to promote affordability, improved quality, and greater consumer choice in health plans.
“I’m proud of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for standing up for a common sense bill,” said Rep. Markey. “Long ago, the insurance industry got a special deal from Washington. Big health insurance companies could conspire with each other to fix prices, divide territories and never be punished for it. It's wrong, and this bill fixes it–once and for all.”
“Today, Washington finally took a stand for patients, for the free market, and for common-sense, bipartisan principles of fairness. Today, we sent a simple message: health insurance companies must compete for business like everyone else,” said Rep. Perriello. “Working and middle-class families are sick and tired of getting nickel and dimed by these companies while they rack up billions in profit and enjoy their monopoly protection. I applaud my colleagues for standing on the side of consumers over the health insurance companies.”
Under the legislation, health insurers will no longer be protected from liability for antitrust practices like price fixing, dividing up market territories, or bid rigging. In the last 14 years, there have been 400 mergers among health care insurers so that 95% of health insurance markets are “highly concentrated,” which means consumers have little or no choice between insurers. During the past decade while this concentrated market has enjoyed its exemption from antitrust regulation, health insurance premiums have doubled.
Repealing the anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies has been endorsed by the American Hospital Association, the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of Attorneys General, and the National Farmers Union, among others. The Obama Administration also released a strong statement of support yesterday saying, “This bill will benefit the American health care consumer by ensuring that competition has a prominent role in reforming health insurance markets throughout the nation.”
Watch Representative Markey on the floor of the House
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 406-19 to pass H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, introduced by Congresswoman Betsy Markey and Congressman Tom Perriello. The two-page bill repeals the special anti-trust exemption that health insurance companies have enjoyed since 1945, and will restore competition to the health insurance market to promote affordability, improved quality, and greater consumer choice in health plans.
“I’m proud of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for standing up for a common sense bill,” said Rep. Markey. “Long ago, the insurance industry got a special deal from Washington. Big health insurance companies could conspire with each other to fix prices, divide territories and never be punished for it. It's wrong, and this bill fixes it–once and for all.”
“Today, Washington finally took a stand for patients, for the free market, and for common-sense, bipartisan principles of fairness. Today, we sent a simple message: health insurance companies must compete for business like everyone else,” said Rep. Perriello. “Working and middle-class families are sick and tired of getting nickel and dimed by these companies while they rack up billions in profit and enjoy their monopoly protection. I applaud my colleagues for standing on the side of consumers over the health insurance companies.”
Under the legislation, health insurers will no longer be protected from liability for antitrust practices like price fixing, dividing up market territories, or bid rigging. In the last 14 years, there have been 400 mergers among health care insurers so that 95% of health insurance markets are “highly concentrated,” which means consumers have little or no choice between insurers. During the past decade while this concentrated market has enjoyed its exemption from antitrust regulation, health insurance premiums have doubled.
Repealing the anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies has been endorsed by the American Hospital Association, the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of Attorneys General, and the National Farmers Union, among others. The Obama Administration also released a strong statement of support yesterday saying, “This bill will benefit the American health care consumer by ensuring that competition has a prominent role in reforming health insurance markets throughout the nation.”
Watch Representative Markey on the floor of the House
President Obama's Healthcare Summit
As most everyone has heard by now, President Obama will be holding a televised healthcare summit tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 25th. It will air at 8am MST on C-SPAN3.
Your guess is as good as mine as to what is going to transpire during this summit. All I can say is, get your popcorn ready! Here's to hoping our Government can act like adults and discuss healthcare reform in a rational and reasonable way.......
List of Senators expected to attend:
Harry Reid, D-Nev., majority leader
Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., majority whip
Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., Democratic Caucus vice chairman
Patty Murray, D-Wash., Democratic Caucus secretary
Max Baucus, D-Mont., Finance Committee chairman
Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., Banking Committee chairman
Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, HELP Committee chairman
John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., Finance Subcommittee on Health Care chairman
Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Budget Committee chairman
Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., minority whip
Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Republican Conference chairman
Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, Finance Committee ranking member
Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo., HELP Committee ranking member
John McCain, R-Ariz., HELP Committee member
Tom Coburn, R-Okla., M.D., HELP Committee member
John Barrasso, R-Wyo., M.D.
List of Representatives expected to attend:
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Speaker of the House
Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., majority leader
James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., majority whip
Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., Ways and Means Committee chairman
Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., Energy and Commerce Committee chairman
George Miller, D-Calif., Education and Labor Committee chairman
John D. Dingell, D-Mich., Energy and Commerce Committee chairman emeritus
Robert E. Andrews, D-N.J., Education and Labor HELP Subcommittee chairman
Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., Democratic Caucus vice chairman
Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., Blue Dog Coalition member
Louise M. Slaughter, D-N.Y., Rules Committee chairwoman
John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, minority leader
Eric Cantor, R-Va., minority whip
Support Rural Health - Protect Rural Medicare!
The following is from our partners, the National Rural Health Association:
On December 31, 2009, a number of rural Medicare add-on payments expired. Although extenders of these provisions were included in both the Senate and House versions of health reform legislation, these payments have lapsed, jeopardizing access to care for rural Medicare beneficiaries, while health reform lingered.
As you well know, rural health care providers operate on a very thin margin and these payments allow them to remain in business and providing care to patients in their communities. Email your Representatives today and urge them to sign on to the Rural Health Care Coalition's letter supporting the extension of these important provisions as part of any current legislation.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION & EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
On December 31, 2009, a number of rural Medicare add-on payments expired. Although extenders of these provisions were included in both the Senate and House versions of health reform legislation, these payments have lapsed, jeopardizing access to care for rural Medicare beneficiaries, while health reform lingered.
As you well know, rural health care providers operate on a very thin margin and these payments allow them to remain in business and providing care to patients in their communities. Email your Representatives today and urge them to sign on to the Rural Health Care Coalition's letter supporting the extension of these important provisions as part of any current legislation.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION & EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
FY10-11 Proposed Healthcare Cuts
Please note: The CO Rural Health Center has not taken a formal position on any of these proposed cuts.
Get ready for FY10-11 budget fun under the dome as the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) will be figure setting for the Health Care Policy & Finance (HCPF) Department on March 11th. What this means is that funding and budget proposals regarding Medicaid and other healthcare services will be set during this time as the JBC prepares the long bill (aka our state budget). Public testimony is not allowed during figure setting or for the long bill, but members of the JBC may be contacted via email or phone if you are concerned by any of the proposed cuts that are planning to make up the HCPF figure setting. FY10-11 will begin July 1, 2010 and runs through June 30, 2011.
Some of the proposed HCPF cuts for FY10-11 include:
A 4-week delay in Medicaid payments (meaning Medicaid providers will most likely get paid the first week of June 2011, but won't be paid again until after July 1, 2011);
$25.7 million cut from Amendment 35 funds, which will leave $17.3 million for prevention, early detection, and treatment programs; tobacco education; and health disparities programs;
Medicaid reimbursement cut of 1%; and
10% Medicaid cuts to Advance Practice Nurses(APN) and Physician Assistants(PA).
This last cut, in particular, will greatly impact rural healthcare providers and services. Cutting reimbursement to APNs and PAs to 90% of what a physician receives for providing the same service will very much be felt in many rural communities and counties where APNs and PAs serve as the primary healthcare provider.
If you are concerned about these proposed cuts and/or would like more information, please contact Terri Hurst, CRHC Policy Analyst, or call 303-407-2031.
Get ready for FY10-11 budget fun under the dome as the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) will be figure setting for the Health Care Policy & Finance (HCPF) Department on March 11th. What this means is that funding and budget proposals regarding Medicaid and other healthcare services will be set during this time as the JBC prepares the long bill (aka our state budget). Public testimony is not allowed during figure setting or for the long bill, but members of the JBC may be contacted via email or phone if you are concerned by any of the proposed cuts that are planning to make up the HCPF figure setting. FY10-11 will begin July 1, 2010 and runs through June 30, 2011.
Some of the proposed HCPF cuts for FY10-11 include:
A 4-week delay in Medicaid payments (meaning Medicaid providers will most likely get paid the first week of June 2011, but won't be paid again until after July 1, 2011);
$25.7 million cut from Amendment 35 funds, which will leave $17.3 million for prevention, early detection, and treatment programs; tobacco education; and health disparities programs;
Medicaid reimbursement cut of 1%; and
10% Medicaid cuts to Advance Practice Nurses(APN) and Physician Assistants(PA).
This last cut, in particular, will greatly impact rural healthcare providers and services. Cutting reimbursement to APNs and PAs to 90% of what a physician receives for providing the same service will very much be felt in many rural communities and counties where APNs and PAs serve as the primary healthcare provider.
If you are concerned about these proposed cuts and/or would like more information, please contact Terri Hurst, CRHC Policy Analyst, or call 303-407-2031.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Health Policy Update
We're five weeks into the 2010 Legislative Session and the exhaustion is already starting to show! There are approximately 84 bills that have been introduced dealing with healthcare issues alone. CRHC is actively supporting four bills and all of them seem to be sailing through without many issues (hooray!). I'll be giving an update on those bills and more in the next couple of days.
I'm finally getting my head above water and will be able to keep all of you up to speed as to what is going on under the gold dome! It has been a whirlwind of a month so far......
I'm sure most of you have heard, the President is holding a Healthcare Summit next Thursday, Feb. 25th, which will supposedly be televised. Stay tuned for more information on this as well in the upcoming days.....
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Protect Rural Medicare Beneficiaries & Providers
The following is a call-to-action from our partners, the National Rural Health Association:
Extend Rural Medicare Add-on Payments
On December 31, 2009, a number of rural Medicare add-on payments expired. Although extenders of these provisions were included in both the Senate and House versions of health reform legislation, these payments have lapsed, jeopardizing access to care for rural Medicare beneficiaries, while health reform lingered.
As you well know, rural health care providers operate on a very thin margin and these payments allow them to remain in business and providing care to patients in their communities. Email your Senators today and urge them to, retroactively to the date of their expiration, extend these important provisions as part of any current legislation, along with preventing the 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments expected at the beginning of March.
Please click on the title of this posting to contact Senator Udall and Senator Bennet to urge their support of these rural provisions.....
Extend Rural Medicare Add-on Payments
On December 31, 2009, a number of rural Medicare add-on payments expired. Although extenders of these provisions were included in both the Senate and House versions of health reform legislation, these payments have lapsed, jeopardizing access to care for rural Medicare beneficiaries, while health reform lingered.
As you well know, rural health care providers operate on a very thin margin and these payments allow them to remain in business and providing care to patients in their communities. Email your Senators today and urge them to, retroactively to the date of their expiration, extend these important provisions as part of any current legislation, along with preventing the 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments expected at the beginning of March.
Please click on the title of this posting to contact Senator Udall and Senator Bennet to urge their support of these rural provisions.....
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Bill Tracking Tool 2.9.10
The madness continues at the Capitol! The Senate continues to work on the revenue enhancement measures proposed by the Governor's office and we can expect next week to focus on the FY10-11 budget. In the House, the first Committee deadline is approaching this Thursday, which means all Committees (except Appropriations) must report out bills that were introduced in the beginning of the session.
As always, stay tuned for more fun in the upcoming weeks!
Hospice Bills
The 2010 Legislative session is zooming along! CRHC has officially taken positions on three bills that seem to be moving through the legislative process fairly easily. That being said, there are two bills that will directly impact the scope of Advance Practice Nurses (APNs), in particular, those that work in hospice and palliative care. While CRHC has not taken an official position on either of these bills, these bills will directly impact the ability of APNs to provide healthcare in rural Colorado.
HB10-1024: Declaring Patients Terminally Ill, explicitly removes the ability of an APN to declare a patient terminally ill in order to begin end-of-life care. APNs have had the ability to declare a patient terminally ill since January 1, 2009. If HB10-1024 passes, APNs would still have the ability to enter declarations of medical treatment into a patient's record and participate in end-of-life care, but would lose the ability to declare a patient as terminally ill.
HB10-1025: Colorado Medical Treatment Act Updates, is written in a way that would remove the ability of an APN to declare a patient as terminally ill to begin end-of-life care. This bill reenacts the Colorado Medical Treatment Decision Act, which affirms the right of each patient to accept or reject medical treatment and creates a procedure to make such decisions in advance through a written declaration. While HB10-1025 has many good provisions in it, if it passes it will accomplish the goal of HB10-1024.
Both of these bills are to be heard by the House Committee of the Whole tomorrow.
If you would like contact information for your Representative, please click HERE.
If you do not know who your Representative is and would like to learn, click HERE.
HB10-1024: Declaring Patients Terminally Ill, explicitly removes the ability of an APN to declare a patient terminally ill in order to begin end-of-life care. APNs have had the ability to declare a patient terminally ill since January 1, 2009. If HB10-1024 passes, APNs would still have the ability to enter declarations of medical treatment into a patient's record and participate in end-of-life care, but would lose the ability to declare a patient as terminally ill.
HB10-1025: Colorado Medical Treatment Act Updates, is written in a way that would remove the ability of an APN to declare a patient as terminally ill to begin end-of-life care. This bill reenacts the Colorado Medical Treatment Decision Act, which affirms the right of each patient to accept or reject medical treatment and creates a procedure to make such decisions in advance through a written declaration. While HB10-1025 has many good provisions in it, if it passes it will accomplish the goal of HB10-1024.
Both of these bills are to be heard by the House Committee of the Whole tomorrow.
If you would like contact information for your Representative, please click HERE.
If you do not know who your Representative is and would like to learn, click HERE.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Health Reform?????
Since federal healthcare reform is stalled for the moment, I thought I'd post another picture from the NRHA Policy Institute. This is a picture of the group of Coloradans who took over the Hill last week along with Senator Udall and his healthcare staffer, Jake Swanton.
Wish I had more to tell you about what's going on with healthcare reform, but it sounds like the Democrats are still trying to figure out what to do. The clock is ticking though. I think that if something doesn't occur in the next few weeks, we can add another failed attempt at healthcare reform to our history books. Ugh......
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