BREAKING NEWS: New Co-Chair
of the Congressional MS Caucus. Maryland Congressman Chris Van
Hollen has agreed to become the new co-chair of our caucus. He and
fellow co-chair Congressman Michael Burgess, MD, already have a strong working
relationship on MS issues because they are the two lead authors of the
Neurological Disease Surveillance System Act. Van Hollen is also co-chair
of the Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease.
Sen.
Dan Inouye (D-HI). The Senate lost its second longest serving
senator in the history of the United States and the one individual who has
represented the state of Hawaii since it was first admitted into the Union as a
state; first in the House, then the Senate. Sen. Inouye passed away this
week with his final word being ‘Aloha’. He served with 412 Senators
including 218 Democrats, 189 Republicans, 1 Independence Party, 3 Independents,
and 1 Conservative according to an analysis by Smart Politics. He served
with more Minnesotans (14) than senators from any other state. He was
also a decorated World War II veteran – his Wikipedia page covers the
event that earned him the medal of honor.
Latest
on the Fiscal Cliff talks. Washington is saturated with
fiscal cliff talk. The two primary negotiators are President Obama and
Speaker Boehner. The latest offer on the table includes allowing taxes to
increase on people earning $400,000 or above along with over $700 billion in
cuts to entitlement programs (over 10 years). The Washington Post has two
great tools – one is a graphic
of the various proposals to date and they also have an interactive
tool so that you can try to come up with a solution yourself.
Christmas is fast approaching and with each hour and each day that passes
without a deal, the more likely Congress won’t enact anything by December
31. The world of course won’t end (that’s supposed to happen today),
however the markets will likely speak loudly after the first of the year.
Already dozens
of CEO’s from our largest companies have told Washington to make a deal,
get this done, and do not let the fiscal cliff happen and they have also said
that tax rates need to increase as part of a compromise. Physicians are
one group who are likely to feel an extra
sting from the fiscal cliff since Medicare provider reimbursements will
fall another 2%. As of this writing, Speaker Boehner’s attempt to create
some leverage by passing a bill only letting taxes rise on those making $1
million or above failed at the hands of his own caucus, weakening his
negotiating power according to many.
Disability
Treaty Fails.
By now you’ve heard that the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities failed to receive enough votes in the Senate to secure
ratification – it fell five votes short. Majority Leader Reid and Foreign
Relations Committee Chair Kerry (who I just read is Secretary of
State-designate, pending Senate confirmation) have said they plan to bring it
up for another vote in the next Congress however it’s clear that proponents
need to re-double efforts to explain how the treaty is truly a benefit for
Americans in order to secure enough GOP votes for the treaty.
New
Health Reform Guide from Consumer Reports. “Health Reform: Seven Things You Need to Know Now,” to
help consumers understand how the biggest changes brought about by the
Affordable Care Act will affect them now and in the future. The new guide
tackles topics such as “new protections and benefits,” “what to expect in
2014,” and “a new way to buy and afford health insurance.”
New
Flexible Savings Account Rules. There are new
rules coming for you use your FSA. Here’s an article highlighting the
changes.
LTSS
Across the States. AARP has a great publication
profiling the status of long-term services and supports throughout the 50
states.
Rural
Veterans.
I have attached a slide show of the face of the veteran community in rural
America. It’s a really good presentation with a great amount of useful
information about America’s veterans.
Talkers
and Doers.
In
a recent Crystal
Ball by Larry Sabato, he makes the following observation about the
difference between federal and state elected officials: “The statehouses
are still where the action is. Politicians run for the U.S. Senate and the U.S.
House in order to talk about solving problems; as debating societies,
they cannot be beat. Politicians run for governor to do something about
those problems.”
98%
of Americans.
President Obama has 33 million Facebook fans and collectively they are friends
with 98% of Facebook users in the U.S. Pretty amazing. Not sure
what you think but I’m beginning to believe that this new technology may have
staying power!
2048
Presidential Election. The Atlantic notes "[a]n
important deadline for Election 2048 is fast approaching. Due to the mandate in
the U.S. Constitution that American presidents must be at least 35 years old to
take office, parents who want their children to be eligible for that election
cycle should start trying to conceive now or in the immediate future,
generations of accumulated data about fertility and the length of gestation
suggest."
Comprehensive
Tax Reform.
For all the lines-in-the-sand and tough talk about taxes and how the U.S. is
overtaxed, some historic perspective would be helpful although rarely if ever
is it offered among the chattering class. Some of us are ‘experienced
enough’ (sounds better than ‘old enough’) to recall the great tax battles of
the mid-1980s when President Reagan ushered in the most dramatic drop in
marginal rates since JFK cut it from 90% to 70% (yes, it was once that
high). Here is a quip from a recent newsletter
from former U.S. Senator David Durenberger about what happened:
WHAT WOULD ROSTY
DO? Back in 1985-86 President Reagan challenged the
Congress to reform the nation's income tax code. Democratic Ways and
Means Committee chair Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) who had
to originate the reform bill, took the President up on the challenge, worked
with Treasury Secretary Donald Regan to shape a reform
product that took the marginal rates from 50% (which he had lowered from 70% in
1981), to 35%. We on the Senate Finance Committee applauded but did Rosty
one better - dropped it to 25% with no net loss in revenue. The
compromise rate was 28%. Rostenkowski was happy to have Reagan take
credit for reforming all those "tax entitlements," knowing that
Reagan as President would also have to take all the heat. And there was
plenty. Can Republicans do that in 2013? No indication so far they
can or will.
Not
sure of a Headline for this. A 56-year-old ex-convict said he
intentionally got arrested for shoplifting in order to get treated for leukemia
in prison, the Associated Press reports.
Holiday
Travel Helpline: The U.S. Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) has a helpline—TSA Cares—for travelers with
disabilities and medical conditions. When a passenger with a disability
or medical condition calls TSA Cares, a representative will provide assistance,
either with information about screening that is relevant to the passenger's
specific disability or medical condition, or the passenger may be referred to
disability experts at TSA. TSA recommends that passengers call approximately 72
hours ahead of travel so that TSA Cares has the opportunity to coordinate
checkpoint support with a TSA Customer Service Manager located at the airport
when necessary. More information can be found on TSA’s
website.
2013 is right around the corner and the Public Policy Office wishes
all of you a happy and safe holiday season! Your support and engagement
is critical to doing all we can to advance the interests of people impacted by
MS.
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