Obama Administration to Draft New Healthcare Reform Proposal in Advance of Bipartisan Summit

 

Advocacy Community Continues to Push Extension of FMAP Increase; Legislative Vehicle Uncertain 

 

 

 

 

 

With Congress stalled over healthcare reform, the Obama Administration announced this week that it will draft a new healthcare proposal designed to win bipartisan support. Administration officials did not specify a release date or provide details about the plan’s provisions, but said that it would be published online in advance of the bipartisan healthcare reform summit scheduled for Feb. 25. Twelve Democrats and nine Republicans from Congress have been invited to the summit to discuss insurance reforms, cost containment, expanding coverage, and the impact health reform legislation will have on the deficit. Representatives from the Office of Management and Budget, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Department of Health and Human Services will also be present. The full list of attendees is available from The Hill. 

 

The National Council continues to provide the latest information about the healthcare reform process through our Healthcare Reform Update webinar series. The slides and recording from the Feb. 16th webinar are available online. The next webinar in the series is scheduled for Mar. 3 at 1:00 pm EST. Click here to register online.

 

 

 

In last week’s Public Policy Update, the National Council reported that 35 Senators have signed on as cosponsors to legislation that would extend the increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage by 6 months, to June 30, 2011. The bill, S. 3000, has the best chance for passage is if it is added as an amendment to the jobs creation bill currently moving through Congress. The House has already included a six-month FMAP extension in its version of the jobs bill. The Senate version of the jobs bill, which has been scheduled for an initial vote on Mon., Feb. 22, does not include an extension to the increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage.  With the vote looming, it is unlikely that any new amendments will be accepted. However, support for the jobs bill as it stands is uncertain, with many Senators supporting a separate version that has been introduced by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA). With the future of the jobs bill unclear, there’s still time to contact your Senators and urge their support for an extension of the FMAP increase. The FMAP extension is at a tipping point, and your advocacy can pressure Congress into enacting it. Click here to write your Senators today!

 

 

 

On Jan. 13, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its proposed criteria for establishing “meaningful use” of electronic health records. Compliance with these standards will be required for providers or health organizations hoping to take advantage of the health information technology incentive payments established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The National Council would like to invite you to a webinar on Fri, Feb. 19th at 1:00-2:00 pm eastern time during which we will review the major components of the proposed criteria, discuss how the rules can be applied to community behavioral healthcare organizations, and share with you for feedback, our initial comments on the criteria. Registration for the webinar is available on our website.

 

 

 

Several lawmakers who have traditionally been champions of substance use and mental health policy are set to retire this year. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) have all announced they will not seek reelection in 2010. The National Council thanks Kennedy, Gordon, and Dodd for their unflagging commitment to improving federal mental health and addictions policy throughout their careers in Congress. Their longstanding efforts have played a role in the passage of landmark legislation such as the Wellstone-Domenici Parity Law and greater recognition of the crucial role that mental health and addictions play in overall health.  Working on issues as varied as youth suicide prevention, expanding the behavioral health workforce, mental healthcare for seniors, increased funding for community mental health services, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, and tobacco cessation, their consistent leadership on behalf of persons living with mental illness and substance use disorders has been a wonderful asset to our community.

 

These lawmakers represent only three of the 27 retirements that have been announced so far this year. With the entire House and one third of the Senate up for re-election in 2010, there’s no better time to increase your political engagement. Join us and hundreds of your colleagues from around the country for the National Council’s 2010 Public Policy Institute and Hill Day, where you can learn strategies for influencing public policy and effectively communicating your priorities to your elected officials. Hill Day will take place on June 29-30 in Washington, D.C. Additional details and free registration are available on our website.

 

 

 

On Feb. 12, President Obama signed into law legislation restoring the “pay-as-you-go” budget rule. Also known as PAYGO, the rule is intended to rein in federal spending by requiring that Congress find ways to fully pay for any increases in spending or new programs.  However, the rule does not apply to emergency spending measures. Moreover, it contains a five-year exemption from the offset requirements for the annual “fix” Congress uses to prevent Medicare payment cuts to doctors and a two-year exemption for the annual Alternative Minimum Tax patch that keeps millions of middle-class families from paying higher tax rates.