HHS HOSTS AFFORDABLE CARE ACT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is providing free Webinars, Fact Sheets and more to help explain the health care reform law (the Affordable Care Act) to the public--in both English and Spanish. 

This afternoon, August 21^st, at 2:00 pm ET there is a National Webinar to tour www.HealthCare.gov.  This is an all-inclusive website on health care reform.  Registration is required.  Click here to register!

Next Tuesday, August 28^th at 2:00 pm ET there is a National Webinar in Spanish titled “The Health Care Law 101”.  Registration is required. Click here to register!

Click here for a list of the Webinars so you can learn more about the Affordable Care Act!

REPRESENTATIVE BUERKLE INTRODUCES NEW AUTOIMMUNE LEGISLATION

Recently, Representative Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-25) introduced legislation (H.R. 6218) to better coordinate autoimmune disease efforts among Federal agencies.  Her legislation, the "Mary Colella Autoimmune Disease Awareness Act of 2012" was inspired by her late sister, Mary Colella, who lived with multiple sclerosis.  Rep. Buerkle introduced the legislation to help increase awareness and education about autoimmune diseases.  The legislation would create the Autoimmune Disease Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee and requires an assessment of national progress to autoimmune disease research, an update of the national strategic plan, and recommendations to develop a national curriculum on autoimmune diseases.  Introduction of the bill was recently featured on the local upstate New York news.  

 

Prior to her election Rep. Buerkle worked as a nurse and later attended law school and became an attorney.  The National MS Society supports H.R. 6218 and has urged members of the Congressional MS Caucus to co-sponsor the bill.  Thank you, Representative Buekle, for bringing attention to the needs of those with autoimmune diseases!

STATES BEGIN ESTABLISHING HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGES

A recent report (click here to read it) from the Commonwealth Fund identifies California, Colorado and Maryland as among the first states to enact legislation establishing health insurance exchanges called for in the in the Affordable Care Act!

Exchanges are new web-based marketplaces that will be set up in each state for buying health insurance, although some states will make use of a federally-run exchange instead.  Through the exchanges, individuals and small businesses will have choices of different plans and be provided with information to help them understand their options.

In Colorado, the National MS Society, in collaboration with the Chronic Care Collaborative, is actively engaged in the development of its health insurance exchange to help get more Coloradans health coverage!  Society chapters in other states are working with their coalition partners and activists on planning for their exchanges as well.  

Among the key areas of discussion are:  

1) Coverage:  Federal law requires that insurance plans available through state exchanges provide coverage in ten areas called “essential health benefits” to help ensure comprehensive care and services.  

2) Navigators:  Health benefits exchanges will also include navigators to provide direct services to consumers.  It is vital that these representatives be easily accessible and knowledgeable about health insurance plans and other resources for consumers.

3) Funding:  Federal grants are currently funding development of the state exchanges.  However this support is not ongoing, and exchanges must find alternate sources of funding to operate in future years.  

The Colorado Health Benefits Exchange (abbreviated as COHBE) was created by bipartisan legislation in 2011.  COHBE is an independent organization not managed by the state government, but responsible for the creation and implementation of the exchange.  You can find more details about COHBE from the Colorado Department of Insurance here.

Colorado is a national leader when it comes to the implementation of its exchange.  COHBE has successfully applied for the appropriate federal grants and it has developed workgroups to address the policy and technical decisions necessary for creating the exchange. 

FEDERAL FRIDAYS

Congress is now officially on summer recess, holding town meetings and other public events to talk with constituents about what’s going on in DC.  This is a terrific opportunity to talk with your elected officials about issues important to the MS Community!  Upon returning after Labor Day, the House will only have about 8 legislative days for the remainder of the year so whatever they will accomplish, they’ll have to do fast!

CRPD UPDATE:  The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) did not have a vote on the Senate floor yet – thank you to everyone who contacted their Senator on this!  The goal is to get a ratification vote in September when the Senate returns.  For anyone having a meeting with a U.S. Senator or his/her staff during August recess, feel free to bring this leave behind, highlighting our support for the treaty.  But remember, this is ONLY for Senators, not Representatives.

Health Reform Interactive Map and Infographic.  The Commonwealth Fund recently announced creation of an interactive map of each state and its progress with regard to health insurance exchange development.   StateReforum.org has an Infographic about how States are sprinting toward Benchmark Plan Decisions.

State Health Facts.  There’s a great website that allows you to find health facts about each state, either by state or category.  Check it out here.

Medicare/ACA Facts and Fiction.  The Center for Medicare Advocacy has compiled a list of falsehoods that have spread far and wide about Medicare and the health reform law.  Myths from ‘death panels’ to illegal aliens getting free health care are all de-bunked.

One Trillion Dollars.  That’s how much money was saved over the past decade due to availability of generic drugs according to this study.

Telehealth.  Massachusetts became the 16^th state to enact legislation requiring re-imbursement of telehealth services.

Autoimmune Disease legislation.  Last issue I mentioned that Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle and Rep. Carolyn Maloney had introduced the Mary Colella Autoimmune Disease Awareness Act of 2012.  It now has a bill number – HR 6218. 

Short film about MS.  ShiftMS.org produced a short film about a young man who chose to break up with his girlfriend because he was diagnosed with MS, rather than tell her about it and work through it together – there’s more though, you can watch it here.

Bipartisan Call to Action.  Former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle (D) and Bill Frist (R) recently penned this piece about the need to for affordable health care and the need to work together to solve our health care problems.  One can only hope the sentiment starts to spread.  Frist and Daschle lead the Bipartisan Policy Center which recently held a day-long seminar on the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision, Medicaid-expansion, and other related health care issues.

Consider listening instead of reading. The Internet offers thousands of audio files on every topic imaginable. Audio books are a popular download. Many audio books are released at the same time the print edition is published. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress provides many services to people with visual or physical disabilities, who may borrow audio books, magazines and equipment free.  This information is now posted to the National MS Society site as well.

U.S. Dominance in Medical Innovation on the slide.  The CEO of Lilly wrote a sobering piece on how America is slipping in terms of medical innovation and what the future holds if we don’t reverse this trend.  In another opinion piece it talks about the New Frontier (investments in science, space, etc.) and the Great Society (Medicaid, Medicare, etc.) and the need for the ‘parents’ (Democrats) to spearhead ‘fixing’ things, noting that the New Frontier initiatives are being starved and the crown jewel, NASA, is just a shell now.  Agree or not – it’s an interesting piece.

Sequestration and finding Cures.  FasterCures posted this to their blog talking about how the proposed automatic spending cuts, or sequestration, could impact efforts to find cures.  The chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee recently released a report detailing how sequestration will impact non-defense sectors.

Serving Medicaid Population.  A recent report states that nearly one-third of physicians will no longer accept Medicaid patients.  New Jersey had the nation’s lowest rate of doctors taking new patients at 40%, while Wyoming had the highest, at 99%, according to a survey last year of doctors by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gaps in Coverage.  The Commonwealth Fund reports on gaps Americans have in their health care coverage.  Eighty-nine million people— 36.3 percent of Americans ages 4 to 64—were uninsured for at least one month between 2004 and 2007, including 23 million Americans who lost coverage more than once.

Electoral Vote Tie?  Did you know that there are essentially 97 different scenarios under which the vote for president in the electoral college could be a 270-270 tie?  Pretty interesting read for you political junkies!

Twoosh.  The President coined the term for a master twitterer playing of the Nike ‘swoosh’ – who know if it will catch on, but if you tweet, be sure to follow @MSActivist!  There’s no future in ‘twoosh’ for the president unfortunately since it’s already an App!

MS ACTIVISTS ATTEND ADA ANNIVERSARY EVENT AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Last Thursday, for the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), MS activists and staff from the Society’s National Capital Chapter attended a commemorative event at the White House. The event highlighted the triumphant passage of the ADA twenty-two years ago. 

MS Activist Maureen Normann and Chris Broullire, Chapter President, National Capital Chapter

 

At the event, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, delivered remarks and mingled with those in attendance. In the picture below, Jarrett poses for a photo with Society staff and activists.

From Left: Society Staff Leah Corr, Maureen Normann, Valerie Jarrett, Chris Broullire

In Jarrett’s own blog post commemorating the anniversary (click here to read her full blog post), she took time to point out successes since the enactment of the ADA. But while celebrating the law that has changed the lives of many Americans with disabilities, she also took a moment to acknowledge that, “the fight for justice is far from complete.” 

To help move us a step closer, on the anniversary of the ADA, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new program—the Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative—that will help ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against in their access to health care. This will include equal physical access to medical buildings.

Those in the disability movement who originally advocated for passage of the ADA and those who have worked tirelessly since to ensure enforcement should be very proud of the progress that has been made. We will keep moving forward!