Legislative News

Latino Leaders Ask Congress to Act Now to Address Needs of Latino Community in Final Healthcare ...

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Hispanic Federation, LULAC, NCLR, NPRC, USHCC Among Organizations Calling on Congressional Leadership to Address Disparate Treatment of Latinos in Current Version of Healthcare Bill Through the Reconciliation Process

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Leaders of Latinos United for Healthcare (LUH), including Hispanic Federation, LULAC, NPRC, USHCC, National Hispanic Medical Association and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), have sent a letter to Capitol Hill calling upon Congress to focus their attention and efforts on ensuring that the healthcare issues of Latinos are not overlooked in the final healthcare reform...

Montana governor wants to get drugs from Canada

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:10:00 +0000

HELENA, Mont. -- Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Thursday that he is seeking federal permission to import cheaper drugs from Canada for use in state insurance programs.

Schweitzer said he thinks the move could chop 40 percent off the $100 million the state spends each year on prescription drugs for Medicaid, the children's health insurance program, state employees, and inmates at the prison.

"We know we can save a lot of money," Schweitzer said.

The governor said he envisions the state setting up a deal with a Canadian wholesaler that could mail the drugs to local pharmacies on insurance plans paid for by the state. In the case of the prison, the governor said he expects the state would order those directly.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Thursday it had not yet seen Montana's request and couldn't comment.

Schweitzer was first involved in the issue during an unsuccessful U.S. Senate run...

S.D. senators still in opposite corners of health-care debate [The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:06:00 +0000

Mar. 11--South Dakota's U.S. senators remain entrenched in opposite corners of the health-care reform fight.

Each conducted his own conference call Wednesday with reporters. Tim Johnson, a Democrat, said he supports the pending legislation and considers this to be on of the most important moments in his two-plus decades of congressional service. Defeat of the health-care bill, he said, would be tantamount to a defeat of Social Security in the 1930s or Medicare in the 1960s.

"I don't want to be on the wrong side of history, and those who oppose it are on the wrong side of history, as far as I'm concerned," Johnson said.

John Thune, a Republican, called the health-care legislation a "really bad bill."

"I think a lot of polls are showing that people want reform, and so do we," Thune said, referring to his Republican congressional colleagues. "What we're saying is, 'Not this.' "

An Associated Press-GfK Poll released...

CDC: Mass. healthcare reform positive

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:53:00 +0000

Healthcare reform legislation in Massachusetts had a positive effect overall and for historically under-served sub-populations, federal health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said overall in Massachusetts, insurance coverage increased from 89 percent in 2005 to 97 percent in 2008, representing an estimated 300,000 additional insured.

The study focused on the impact of the law on historically under-insured populations such as young adults, low-income groups and Hispanics, officials said.

Data from the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed to measure the short-term impact of Massachusetts healthcare reform on health insurance coverage and access to care among different population groups of Massachusetts adults, the report said.

"Most population subgroups experienced substantial increases in health insurance coverage, with the Hispanic population benefiting most from the law -- 5 percent increase in insurance coverage for black adults; 11 percent increase for young males ages 18-34 and...

U.S. House unlikely to vote on health care reform by March 18

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:20:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, Mar 11, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday the House of Representatives are not likely to schedule a vote on the health insurance reform by March 18, as he indicated earlier, and Congressional Democrats are working to consolidate position inside their own caucus.

Gibbs said it might take the House a few days past March 18 to finish the bill. He told reporters last week he believed the House was on schedule to vote on the legislation by March 18, when President Barack Obama leaves for overseas trips to Indonesia and Australia.

Before Gibbs spoke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters Congressional Democrats "are not going to set any arbitrary deadlines," as there are still issues to be addressed in order to advance the bill.

The White House was pushing for an early vote on the reform. Obama said Wednesday in a rally in St. Louis, Missouri, that "the time to talk is over. It's time to...

Bond, Blunt voice concerns over health care reform as Obama visits Missouri [The Sedalia ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:38:00 +0000

Mar. 11--The national health care reform debate was highlighted through the day in Missouri on Tuesday.

President Barrack Obama spoke to a crowd of 300 Tuesday afternoon in St. Charles, telling the crowd "The time for talk is over" and challenging Congress to "give the American people an up or down vote on health care reform." Earlier in the day, Missouri Sen. Kit Bond, a Republican, and his would-be successor, Rep. Roy Blunt, a Springfield Republican, held a joint conference call with reporters to slam Democratic-led reform efforts with Bond calling the president's proposal "monstrous."

The House of Representatives and Senate passed different versions of reform late last year but debates over abortion funding and how the plans are paid for have caused legislative efforts to stall. Because Democrats lost their 60-vote super-majority in the Senate, the House must pass the Senate's version for legislation to move forward. Obama and Senate...

Nebraska's Nelson: 'I Already Have a Plan' if Health Care Fails

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:05:00 +0000

U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said he will propose incremental fixes including small business tax breaks if national health care reform does not pass this year.

Speaking at the Self-Insurance Institute of America's Annual Legislative and Regulatory Conference, Nelson said reform needs should be addressed a piece at a time, with efforts to cut costs, promote wellness programs and increase transparency for businesses and health care consumers. "If we do start over, I already have a plan in place," said the former Nebraska insurance commissioner.

"Typically, it makes sense to make a pie all at once as opposed to making it a piece at a time," Nelson told BestWire following his remarks. "This is a pie you have to make a piece at a time, I believe, if something doesn't ultimately pass."

Nelson cast the 60th vote in favor advancing the Senate health care bill (BestWire, Dec. 21, 2009). That legislation included...

NPRC Urges Health Equality for Puerto Rico

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:24:00 +0000

'We are on the verge of historic reforms -- let's do the job right'

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Puerto Rican Coalition Inc. (NPRC) today urged Congress to adopt revisions to the pending health care reform legislation to better address the needs of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico.

"We are on the verge of historic reforms, so let's do the job right," said NPRC President Rafael Fantauzzi, who urged revisions to the Senate version of the legislation, which he said currently prohibits Puerto Rican residents from participating in the new health insurance exchanges, fails to provide equitable funding for the Island's Medicaid program and does not address long-standing funding disparities for Medicare on the Island.

Puerto Rico faces the same Medicaid mandates as states, but funding for the Territory's Medicaid program is only 17 percent per capita of what states receive, Fantauzzi noted.

Under the Senate version of...

Legacy(SM) Case for Tobacco Funds to be Heard by Ohio Supreme Court

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:44:00 +0000

Two-Year Long Battle For Tobacco Prevention And Cessation Programs To Be Determined by Highest Court

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Ohio Supreme Court has made the decision to hear the appeal in Legacy's case seeking to preserve tobacco funds and the life-saving tobacco control programs they support in Ohio. Legacy – a national public health foundation devoted to tobacco cessation and prevention – applauds this ruling, made yesterday, which recognizes the great importance of this case to the people of Ohio.

The Court will review the December decision of the Ohio Court of Appeals of Franklin County, Tenth Appellate District reversing a lower court's order permanently enjoining the State from dissolving the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Endowment Fund. The December 2009 Court of Appeals' decision represented a major step backward in the effort spearheaded by Legacy and others to safeguard the state's tobacco prevention money for its intended...

Tea party protests health care overhaul: Members also work in a little anti-Obama sentiment in ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:46:00 +0000

Mar. 11--Waving flags and some sharply worded signs, about 50 members of the Southern Colorado Tea Party rallied Wednesday in front of Union Depot, repeating their opposition to health care reform legislation pending in Congress and President Barack Obama's administration in general.

"We don't want or need ObamaCare," Sheldon Bloedorn, chairman of the area tea party told the small crowd, getting cheers of support.

If anyone thought the rally was just about health care, signs in the crowd were more pointed, including "No Mao, No Marx, No Obama" and "Obama is not an American. He was born in Kenya."

Official U.S. biographies of the president say he was born in Hawaii on Aug. 14, 1961.

The purpose of the rally was for the tea party activists to deliver their written objections and petitions to the offices of Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, as well as Rep. John Salazar, all Democrats with...

The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Terry Dickson column: Georgia cigarette tax hike may ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:24:00 +0000

Mar. 11--BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- They stand waiting at the Manna House for a free lunch.

They wait outside the Salvation Army for bed.

Some don't know where their next dollar is coming from.

The cigarettes smoking between their fingers suggests how some spent their money.

And now, some Georgia legislators want to get even more. A $1 tax on each pack of cigarettes would raise $354 million a year to help plug a big budget hole, they say. Others say no tax is a good tax.

With the price of popular brands going to nearly $6 a pack, you figure some people would quit or cut back.

People do cut back, said Sameer Jessani, who runs a family-owned RaceWay convenience store at the Interstate 95-U.S. 341 interchange. For a while.

"It would kill us," he said of sales.

(You want to say, "So would smoking," but you bite your tongue.)

"The first time taxes went up, we lost...

Research and Markets: Pharmaceutical Pricing, Reimbursement, and Market Access News in the ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/0fb1f2/pharmaceutical_pri ) has announced the addition of Decision Resources, Inc.'s new report "Pharmaceutical Pricing, Reimbursement, and Market Access News in the Fourth Quarter of 2009" to their offering.

The fourth quarter of 2009 left drug manufacturers with many unanswered questions that will have a major bearing on the future direction of the pharmaceutical industry. The steady progress of healthcare reform legislation in the United States was thrown into disarray by defeat for the Democrats in a Senate special election in Massachusetts. European...

City aims to rid beach and public areas of smoking [The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:04:00 +0000

Mar. 11--PLATTSBURGH -- Plattsburgh city councilors are aiming to make outdoor public areas healthier.

The council will vote tonight on whether to approve a tobacco-free policy for all city parks, recreation trails, multi-use paths and at the City Beach.

"This is something we've been talking about, and we believe this will benefit the general public, especially children, and provide a healthier environment for everyone to enjoy our natural resources," Mayor Donald Kasprzak said.

The policy would mean that smoking would not be allowed at the City Beach or any of the city's public recreation areas.

The city will look to establish designated areas, away from the public portions of the beach and parks, for people to smoke.

"I would hope that the council will approve this and that the public appreciates the city's efforts to promote a healthier lifestyle," the mayor said.

"The challenge will be to make the public accept this and adhere to...

Conservatives urge Holden to oppose reform bill; Holden says he's planning to vote 'no' ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Mar. 11--About 30 Schuylkill County conservatives came to U.S. Rep. Tim Holden's Pottsville office Wednesday night with a simple message about the health care reform debate.

"Vote 'no' again," Bruce Johnson, organizer of the Schuylkill County Conservatives, said as he and others held signs saying, "We can't afford government-run health care," and, "Socialized health care will be a money pit," outside Holden's office at 101 N. Centre St.

Holden, D-17, voted against the health care reform bill last year. However, another vote will likely be held soon, as the House appears set to pass the Senate's version of the bill.

Johnson and others believe Holden is likely having "his arm twisted" by Democratic leaders eager to turn his "no" vote to a "yes" vote the second time around.

However, in a telephone interview Wednesday night, Holden said his position will not change.

"I will not vote for the Senate bill," Holden said. "It makes...

Mental health laws could see re-write: Bills in Harrisburg would make it easier for courts to ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:32:00 +0000

Mar. 11--Maria DeFelice's daughter will soon be ready to come home.

Her adult daughter's clinical depression was so severe that last fall, doctors had to insert a feeding tube to keep her from starving herself to death. She's now recovering at a mental health facility, DeFelice, a York County resident, said.

But soon, depending on her doctor's decisions, she'll either come home or go to Wernersville State Hospital. DeFelice is worried that the Berks County hospital will keep her isolated from family, but if she's home, there is little as backup should her daughter's condition begin to deteriorate quickly.

But proposed legislation before both the state House and Senate could overhaul a portion of Pennsylvania's 34-year-old mental health laws that would make it easier for families to get court-ordered outpatient treatment for the most severe mentally ill, like DeFelice's daughter.

House bill 2186 and Senate bill 251 -- both of which are expected...

Doctors rally patients in health care fight [The Bradenton Herald, Fla.]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:08:00 +0000

Mar. 11--SARASOTA -- A gathering storm of Medicare cuts and government meddling has left the physician-patient relationship as vulnerable as New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, according to a prominent local doctor who led a health care rally Wednesday.

"People knew about what was going to happen to New Orleans in the (19)20s and the '30s and the '40s and on down the line," said Dr. Robert Knego, a neurologist and president of the Sarasota County Medical Society.

"Sadly, nothing really happened until Katrina hit."

More than 400 people, including about 30 physicians, attended Wednesday's Physicians and Patients Unite Healthcare rally to voice opposition to Medicare cuts the doctors say threaten to limit patients' access to quality care.

Organizers got 316 of the attendees to sign a petition opposing Medicare cuts. It will be sent to Florida's U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and George Lemieux and U.S. Rep Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota.

Manatee County Medical Society President...

Kansas Legislature tables alcohol levy, but tobacco tax still alive [The Kansas City Star, Mo.]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:52:00 +0000

Mar. 11--TOPEKA Kansas lawmakers trying to close a $467 million budget deficit weighed two tax increases Wednesday -- one on alcohol, another on tobacco.

One fared better than the other.

The proposed alcohol tax hike was tabled indefinitely by the House Tax Committee. But the idea is likely to resurface as lawmakers look for alternatives to further budget cuts.

The added alcohol tax revenue would have been split between mental health programs and services for people with development disabilities.

But several members of the House Tax committee opposed the bill, HB 2593, for different reasons. Some worried it could hurt businesses that sell alcohol. Others questioned if the tax revenue would actually be spent on its intended purpose.

The bill would have doubled a wholesale tax on beer, wine and alcohol that's been unchanged since 1977. The current tax is 18 cents per gallon of beer, 30 cents per gallon of wine and $2.50...

Obama continues populist drive to rally support for health reform

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:15:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, Mar 10, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- U.S. President Barack Obama made a campaign-style speech Wednesday in front of a cheering crowd in St. Louis, Missouri, trying to gather the popular support for the health insurance reform.

"let's face it, people have lost faith in government. They had lost faith in government before I ran (for president) and it's been getting worse," Obama said, telling the crowd "the time to talk is over. It's time to vote" for health care reform.

Obama decried waste in government spending, saying "Washington is a place where tax dollars are often treated like Monopoly money -- they're bartered and traded, and they're divvied up among lobbyists and special interests, and where waste -- even billions of dollars of waste -- is accepted as the price of doing business."

He promised to rein in wasteful spending and fraud in healthcare system with the reform. He signed a memorandum earlier in the day, directing all federal departments and agencies to expand...

Obama trumpets audit plan in health care tour stop [BC-OBAMA-HEALTHCARE:SL]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:28:00 +0000

ST. LOUIS _ President Barack Obama brought his health care road show to the St. Louis area Wednesday, announcing a crackdown on waste and fraud in hopes of convincing a gridlocked Congress to pass sweeping health insurance reform.

After delivering a speech in St. Charles, Obama appeared at a downtown St. Louis fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. Hundreds of protesters appeared in St. Charles and in downtown St. Louis, many to express opposition to the health care plan.

Obama's speech in a stuffy gymnasium at St. Charles High School, his second health care address in three days, is part of a White House push to take the debate from the halls of Congress directly to voters, allowing the administration to frame the issue in its own terms.

Earlier in the week, Obama used the prospect of rising insurance premiums to make the case for health care reform. Wednesday, in front...

Obama takes the stage in St. Charles and St. Louis [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:41:00 +0000

Mar. 10--ST. LOUIS -- A room full of supporters were waiting for Barack Obama to take the stage at the Renaissance Grand hotel downtown, where the president is headlining a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a key Democratic ally.

Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley took turns offering opening remarks before a performance by Neal Boyd, a Missouri-born tenor who won the "America's Got Talent" competition in 2008.

The president is set to speak before meeting Air Force One at Lambert Field for his return to Washington.

Tickets to the fundraiser ranged from $25 for standing room to $25,000 for dinner and a photo with the president.

ST. CHARLES -- President Barack Obama brought his healthcare road show here Wednesday, announcing a crackdown on waste and fraud in hopes of convincing a gridlocked and distracted Congress to pass sweeping health-care insurance reform.

Later, Obama appeared at a crowded...

Obama attacks healthcare fraud, waste

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:59:00 +0000

U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday the healthcare system loses billions of dollars a year to fraud, waste, abuse and subsidies to insurance companies.

"Nowhere is reform more needed than when it comes to our healthcare system," Obama said at a high school in suburban St. Louis.

"The healthcare system has billions of dollars that should go to patient care and they're lost each and every year to fraud, to abuse, to massive subsidies that line the pockets of the insurance industry."

He pointed to improper Medicare and Medicaid payments, which he said cost taxpayers $100 billion a year -- more than the budgets of the Education Department and the Small Business Administration combined. "If we created a Department of Improper Payments," the president said, "it would be one of the largest agencies in our government."

The improper payments go to the wrong person, are sent for the wrong reason or are sent...

GOP heavyweights criticize status of health reform [Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:13:00 +0000

Mar. 10--As President Barack Obama prepared to visit Missouri to campaign for health care reform, Republicans Kit Bond and Roy Blunt today said it was a plan the country did not want and could not afford.

Bond called the legislation "a monstrous government takeover." Blunt said, "The people get it, and the people don't want it. The biggest reason not to do it is it costs too much and is crippling Medicare and is a big obstacle to job creation."

Bond is a U.S. senator from Missouri who is retiring after this year. Blunt, a congressman from southwest Missouri, is campaigning to replace him. Together they held a conference call with reporters to criticize the plan Obama is encouraging Congress to approve.

"He is trying to cram this through," Bond said. "He has shown he is not listening. The problem is the American people understand. If he would listen, there is a...

Case of light cigarettes may return to top court [Bangor Daily News, Maine]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Mar. 10--BANGOR, Maine -- A lawsuit over the marketing of light cigarettes could be headed back to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal judge denied a motion to apply facts found in a previous case to the current one.

U.S. District Judge John Woodcock said in a 16-page decision issued Friday that it would not be fair to the litigants to apply the facts found by a judge in a jury-waived criminal trial in a case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against tobacco companies to the potential class-action civil suit.

The lawsuit contends smokers of Marlboro Lights, Virginia Slims Lights and other light cigarettes were misled into thinking that the cigarettes contained less tar and nicotine than regular cigarettes.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs, who live all over the country, had asked Woodcock to apply the doctrine of collateral estoppel to the current case and adopt the facts found in...

Medicare regulators halt insurer's Part D business

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:37:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS -- Federal regulators have banned an insurer from selling Medicare prescription drug coverage and accused it of improperly delaying and denying coverage of HIV, cancer and seizure medications.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Fox Insurance Co. "jeopardized the health and safety" of its enrollees. The privately held New York insurer provided Medicare prescription drug, or Part D coverage, to more than 123,000 Medicare beneficiaries in 21 states.

"This is a termination. It's permanent," said Jonathan Blum, acting director of the CMS Center for Drug and Health Plan Choices. "They are no longer a Part D provider."

CMS said Tuesday those customers will be transferred to a prescription drug plan run by Humana Inc., and they should not see delays in drug access.

CMS sent a letter to Fox last month suspending its enrollment and marketing. The insurer was requiring unnecessary prior approvals and diagnostic testing for some drugs, which...

House panel OKs $17.5B budget: Raises state debt, cuts education spending [The Lexington ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:11:00 +0000

Mar. 10--FRANKFORT -- A House panel approved a $17.5 billion, two-year state budget Tuesday night that includes $2.2 billion in borrowing for state projects, driving the state's debt to record levels.

The proposal also cuts spending on education at all levels in an effort to erase a more than $1 billion gap between projected revenues and current spending levels.

State universities face a 1.5 percent trim in the first year of the budget, which begins July 1, and a 1 percent cut in the second year. They'll also have to come up with about $63 million to operate and maintain buildings that will open over the next two years.

The state's adult education programs will take a 3 percent cut under the House proposal. That's roughly $1.3 million over two years out of the program's $22.5 million budget.

The main funding formula for K-12 education was spared, but the spending plan would save...