Did you know that Memorial
Day – the day we take to honor those who died serving our country in the Armed
Forces – was originally called Decoration Day to honor
Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the civil war?
Be
sure to peruse this entire edition – for the first time I have included a
tidbit about a creative approach by American Samoa to address an access
issue; two tidbits pertaining to Harry S Truman, and under the ACA
Implementation News section, there are some important webinar opportunities
that may be of interest. Enjoy!
World
MS Day – what’s your motto? May 29 is World MS Day and the Society is
supporting this awareness campaign through our website, social media, email,
chapter activities, media outreach, and more. This year people are
posting their personal motto as part of World MS Day – it’s quick and easy so
please go to My
Motto and submit a personal motto that you live by. These mottos inspire us
all to do more in creating a world free of MS. This of course is a
worldwide effort and we’ve been engaged with colleague organizations in the MS
Coalition as well as the MS International Federation.
Long-Term
Services & Supports Petition. The Society is pushing out an online petition asking Congress to
create more flexible, affordable long-term services and supports (LTSS) options
for Americans. Once 25,000 people have signed the petition, it will be
delivered to Congress and hopefully launch discussion and action. Be sure
to check out the great
blog post by Michael Ogg, an activist from New Jersey with primary
progressive MS who is concerned about access to LTSS, and of course sign the
petition yourself!
Debt
Ceiling fight looms. Increased tax revenues and a payment from
Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac has provided a slight cushion but Congress will still
need to take action sometime this fall to increase the federal debt limit in
order to avoid default. Speaker Boehner is trying to corral his caucus
for a unified
approach, lest he have to rely on Minority Leader Pelosi to deliver them.
Federal
Budget Update.
I was going to leave this blank but thought that would be too sarcastic.
There really has been no movement – Sen. John McCain has expressed his dismay
that his own party is putting
up roadblocks to having a conference committee to reconcile the House and
Senate budgets, and freshman Sen. Ted Cruz announcing that he doesn’t
trust his own party in those negotiations. Meanwhile there are some
reasons why getting a budget done this year is attractive (as opposed to
passing another ‘continuing resolution’ to keep funding at current
levels).
‘Scandals’. Well,
that’s all I need to say – plenty of 24/7 coverage of the various issues out
here. Or you can watch the TV series for a different ‘Scandal’. In
the meantime, if you want a few good chuckles, look at these one-liners
by Jay Leno recently.
Legislative
Update.
Click here to find a summary of legislative issues that we provided
recently on a phone call with government relations staff.
Appropriations
Committee Targets. Big, significant
cuts are likely for health and human services programs given budget caps –
the cuts could be as much as 20% (and that’s on top of the sequestration cuts
that went into effect March 1). The impact on medical research is shown
in this
document which includes the quote “2013 is a bad year to have a good
idea.” One estimate is that NIH could lose nearly $5.4 billion if
something doesn’t give. Here’s a letter
on behalf of over 900 groups highlighting the draconian impact of the budget targets.
Favorite
John Boehner Quote: “It is hard to keep 218 frogs in a
wheelbarrow long enough to get a bill passed.” May
20, 2012 on ABC.
Limits
of Telemedicine.
NPR had a Talk
of the Nation episode talking about the promise and limitations of
telemedicine. One of the guests was Dr. Ray Dorsey who has incorporated
telemedicine as a key component of his medical practice for patients with
Parkinson’s Disease.
Truman’s Yacht rusting away. President Harry S Truman used the USS Williamsburg as a floating White House but now it’s just a rusting ghost ship in Italy hoping for new life.
Speaking of the Truman Era . . . Truman was one in a long line of presidents who attempted to reform the American health care system. At the time the American Medical Association was one of the biggest opponents to change. This story talks about how a British painting played a critical role in AMA’s successful efforts to thwart universal health care in the U.S.
American
Samoa’s Frequent Flyers. The government of American Somoa
has established a frequent flyer account to deposit
all frequent flyer miles of government employees traveling on government
business. Those miles will then be used to help impoverished medical
patients and students travel off the islands when necessary to access care.
Health
Reform Implementation News:
- Gettin’ Ready! Since our last ACA News, there’s been loads of ACA implementation activity on both the federal and state government levels. It’s all about getting ready for the October 1st launch of the Health Insurance Marketplaces (aka Exchanges) and the major reforms coming in January. Outreach and education opportunities are ramping up, health insurers are lining up to get their new health insurance policies certified, and really smart people are trying really hard to make complicated stuff sound simple.
- HHS Explains it all to you. HHS is offering two free webinars (a “101” and “advanced”) on the Marketplaces in June and July. Registration is required, and the promise to add more dates if the demand is high. Click here for dates and links to registration. Please circulate, and note the free e-mail sign-up on bottom of the page.
- BIG Changes for PCIPs: To provide desperately needed health insurance coverage to people that had been denied coverage by insurers due to their pre-existing condition, the ACA established a stopgap coverage program known as the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP). Funded entirely through federal dollars, PCIPs were up and running in every state within a few months after the ACA was enacted in 2010, with the goal of providing temporary coverage for the un-insured in poor health until more options were available in 2014. Twenty-seven states chose to run their own PCIP, and others offered coverage through a federally-administered PCIP.
- Let’s make a Deal: News is trickling in from the states about their negotiations with insurance companies that want to sell policies through the Exchanges. Because all health plans must meet specific standards to be deemed ‘Qualified Health Plans’, the process of reviewing and certifying health plans is providing the first look at what policies sold through the Exchanges will actually look like, and what they’ll cost. Inquiring minds that want to know more about states’ efforts to certify health plans may want to check out NASHP’s free 90 minute webinar about Qualified Health Plans on Wednesday, May 29 at 2:30 EST. If you want to understand more about how the Affordable Care Act will make health insurers more accountable for the premiums they charge, read up on the new process for reviewing insurance rates.
- Feds Make It Easier For States To Enroll Poor Under Health Law: The Obama administration informed state officials that they could simplify Medicaid to handle the barrage of potentially millions of new enrollees next year when the healthcare law expands coverage. Medicaid Director Cindy Mann wrote a letter to state officials outlining several ways states could streamline enrollment for adults, including using data people have already submitted to qualify for food stamps and allowing adults to remain enrolled in the program for up to a year, even if their income changes. Policy experts said letting adults stay in the program when their income changes is a "big deal," because it would reduce the large number of people churning in and out of the program and thereby affecting their ability to get care.
That’s
it for now. We hope you had an enjoyable Memorial Day, remembering those who
gave their lives in service of their country. And of course our thoughts
are with so many people who lost loved ones in Oklahoma as a result
of the tornadoes that hit the Moore, OK area.
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