November 18, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC— Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, today established three working groups of the committee to deal with critical issues of health reform. Under Senator Kennedy's direction, the working groups will concentrate on three areas essential to comprehensive reform: (1) prevention and public health, (2) improvements in the quality of care, and (3) insurance coverage. Senator Tom Harkin will lead the working group on prevention and public health, Senator Barbara Mikulski will lead the working group on improvements in quality, and Senator Hillary Clinton will lead the working group on insurance coverage. Senator Kennedy released the following statement:
"Our committee is fortunate to have the services of major leaders who are committed to improving health care for the American people. Senator Harkin, Senator Mikulski, and Senator Clinton have generously offered to step forward and assume an expanded role on critical aspects of health reform. I commend them for their leadership, and I look forward very much to working with them, with all our colleagues on the committee and throughout Congress, and with the Obama Administration to achieve the goal at long last of quality, affordable health care for all Americans."
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Press Contact
Anthony Coley/ Melissa Wagoner (202) 224-2633
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Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
US Sen Baucus to Unveil Health-Policy Vision Wednesday November 12
By Patrick Yoest, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A top Senate Democrat will make his pitch on broad- scale health-care overhaul to cover more people without insurance, with a growing consensus emerging that Congress will have to tackle health issues with a single bill.
Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., will unveil a package Wednesday that has been billed as his vision for comprehensive health-care change. Baucus, along with Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., controls the bulk of Senate jurisdiction over health-care issues.
Kennedy aides have said that he plans to move aggressively on health care in 2009, with the arrival of President-elect Barack Obama providing a boost to Democratic efforts to bring about fundamental change. But Kennedy will need the cooperation of Baucus, who could have a more cautious approach.
"I'm looking for Baucus to establish a strong centrist position that will give Obama real insight into what's happening in the Senate," said Alexander Vachon, a health-policy consultant and a former Finance Committee staffer.
It won't be the first time Baucus has discussed major health-care changes. Last year, he drew up a series o of principles on providing universal coverage, including the idea of "pooling" individuals and small businesses to allow them to get more competitive rates for health insurance.
It appears that the pooling concept will be part of the proposal Baucus offers Wednesday as well.
"Sen. Baucus has long said that he believes that pooling arrangements should be a necessary part of comprehensive heatlh-care reform, and he intends to discuss that in detail that at tomorrow's press conference," said Baucus spokeswoman Carol Guthrie.
The legislative process for incorporating competing policy ideas on health care is an initial hurdle for congressional Democrats, who are keen to avoid President Bill Clinton's failure to enact a health-care overhaul in 1993. Kennedy staffer Michael Myers said Nov. 6 at a Families USA event that a "one- bill strategy" is in the works in the Senate, which would preclude tackling health care changes piecemeal.
"Certainly as politicians, people will want to say 'here was my idea, I was a leader on health care," Myers said, but added that "I think there's a growing recognition that the best way, maybe the only way that this gets done is for Democrats to unite behind a single bill."
It is unclear exactly what a single-bill strategy means. Guthrie said that Baucus is seeking a "consensus product" and has reached out to Sen. Kennedy, but the single-bill concept would have even larger significance if Baucus announces he wants an overarching health package to also include items such as a Medicare reimbursement fix for physicians.
Such an approach could put Baucus into conflict with Rep. Pete Stark, D- Calif., who on Monday said he wants to pass a series of policy initiatives -- including expanding the state children's health-insurance program, chnages in Medicare reimbursements for physicians and health technology legislation -- in advance of a broad health-care measure. Starks chairs the House Ways and Means health subcommittee.
The idea of a comprehensive approach that ties measures to cover more uninsured people to other health-care initiatives has gained the support of some who assert that it will be easier to accomplish a fundamental restructuring of the health-care system.
"You could do all that in a comprehensive package," said Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, a health insurers' trade group. "To approach this comprehensively actually gives you an opportunity to lay out the issues.
Much depends on Obama, whose transition team is meeting with congressional staff to lay out the groundwork for health overhaul. Stark said that, upon receiving Obama's health policy priorities, he expected the House and Senate to each produce bills that would see a conference to reconcile them -- a process that would require long, difficult negotiations.
"I think we are awaiting the president-elect's program, and when it arrives, we will proceed in regular order," Stark said on Monday.
-By Patrick Yoest, Dow Jones Newswires; 202
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A top Senate Democrat will make his pitch on broad- scale health-care overhaul to cover more people without insurance, with a growing consensus emerging that Congress will have to tackle health issues with a single bill.
Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., will unveil a package Wednesday that has been billed as his vision for comprehensive health-care change. Baucus, along with Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., controls the bulk of Senate jurisdiction over health-care issues.
Kennedy aides have said that he plans to move aggressively on health care in 2009, with the arrival of President-elect Barack Obama providing a boost to Democratic efforts to bring about fundamental change. But Kennedy will need the cooperation of Baucus, who could have a more cautious approach.
"I'm looking for Baucus to establish a strong centrist position that will give Obama real insight into what's happening in the Senate," said Alexander Vachon, a health-policy consultant and a former Finance Committee staffer.
It won't be the first time Baucus has discussed major health-care changes. Last year, he drew up a series o of principles on providing universal coverage, including the idea of "pooling" individuals and small businesses to allow them to get more competitive rates for health insurance.
It appears that the pooling concept will be part of the proposal Baucus offers Wednesday as well.
"Sen. Baucus has long said that he believes that pooling arrangements should be a necessary part of comprehensive heatlh-care reform, and he intends to discuss that in detail that at tomorrow's press conference," said Baucus spokeswoman Carol Guthrie.
The legislative process for incorporating competing policy ideas on health care is an initial hurdle for congressional Democrats, who are keen to avoid President Bill Clinton's failure to enact a health-care overhaul in 1993. Kennedy staffer Michael Myers said Nov. 6 at a Families USA event that a "one- bill strategy" is in the works in the Senate, which would preclude tackling health care changes piecemeal.
"Certainly as politicians, people will want to say 'here was my idea, I was a leader on health care," Myers said, but added that "I think there's a growing recognition that the best way, maybe the only way that this gets done is for Democrats to unite behind a single bill."
It is unclear exactly what a single-bill strategy means. Guthrie said that Baucus is seeking a "consensus product" and has reached out to Sen. Kennedy, but the single-bill concept would have even larger significance if Baucus announces he wants an overarching health package to also include items such as a Medicare reimbursement fix for physicians.
Such an approach could put Baucus into conflict with Rep. Pete Stark, D- Calif., who on Monday said he wants to pass a series of policy initiatives -- including expanding the state children's health-insurance program, chnages in Medicare reimbursements for physicians and health technology legislation -- in advance of a broad health-care measure. Starks chairs the House Ways and Means health subcommittee.
The idea of a comprehensive approach that ties measures to cover more uninsured people to other health-care initiatives has gained the support of some who assert that it will be easier to accomplish a fundamental restructuring of the health-care system.
"You could do all that in a comprehensive package," said Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, a health insurers' trade group. "To approach this comprehensively actually gives you an opportunity to lay out the issues.
Much depends on Obama, whose transition team is meeting with congressional staff to lay out the groundwork for health overhaul. Stark said that, upon receiving Obama's health policy priorities, he expected the House and Senate to each produce bills that would see a conference to reconcile them -- a process that would require long, difficult negotiations.
"I think we are awaiting the president-elect's program, and when it arrives, we will proceed in regular order," Stark said on Monday.
-By Patrick Yoest, Dow Jones Newswires; 202
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Health Care Agenda
Democrats Pick Up House, Senate Seats; Newspapers Examine Implications For Health Care, Other Issues
06 Nov 2008
KaiserDemocrats on Tuesday increased their majorities in the Senate and the House and next year likely will seek to pass legislation to expand health insurance to more U.S. residents, among other bills, the Wall Street Journal reports (Hitt/Mullins, Wall Street Journal, 11/5). In the Senate, Democrats and two independents who caucus with them will increase their majority from 51 seats to at least 56 seats, with four races still undecided as of Wednesday morning. Republicans will hold at least 40 seats. In the House, Democrats will increase their majority from 236 seats to at least 252 seats, with 10 races undecided. Republicans will hold at least 173 seats (CNN.com, 11/5).
According to the Boston Globe's "Political Intelligence" blog, Democrats next year first will "address the low growth, high unemployment and economic strain on American workers," and in the "longer term," they are "hopeful they can complete a health care plan." The larger majorities might allow Democrats to pass a "slew of legislation that was blocked by the Bush administration" or that "failed to pass by small margins in the House or Senate," such as bills to expand SCHIP and allow expanded federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, the Globe's "Political Intelligence" blog reports (Milligan, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 11/4).
However, as a result of the record federal budget deficit, the recently enacted $700 billion bailout for Wall Street firms and the "threat of a deep recession, Democrats will have to limit or postpone any big new spending programs, such as ones to expand health care," Reuters reports (Ferraro/Cowan, Reuters, 11/5).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/128375.php
Main News Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Appears In: Public Health,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save time! Get the latest medical news headlines for your specialist area, in a weekly newsletter e-mail. See http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsletters.php for details.
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06 Nov 2008
KaiserDemocrats on Tuesday increased their majorities in the Senate and the House and next year likely will seek to pass legislation to expand health insurance to more U.S. residents, among other bills, the Wall Street Journal reports (Hitt/Mullins, Wall Street Journal, 11/5). In the Senate, Democrats and two independents who caucus with them will increase their majority from 51 seats to at least 56 seats, with four races still undecided as of Wednesday morning. Republicans will hold at least 40 seats. In the House, Democrats will increase their majority from 236 seats to at least 252 seats, with 10 races undecided. Republicans will hold at least 173 seats (CNN.com, 11/5).
According to the Boston Globe's "Political Intelligence" blog, Democrats next year first will "address the low growth, high unemployment and economic strain on American workers," and in the "longer term," they are "hopeful they can complete a health care plan." The larger majorities might allow Democrats to pass a "slew of legislation that was blocked by the Bush administration" or that "failed to pass by small margins in the House or Senate," such as bills to expand SCHIP and allow expanded federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, the Globe's "Political Intelligence" blog reports (Milligan, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 11/4).
However, as a result of the record federal budget deficit, the recently enacted $700 billion bailout for Wall Street firms and the "threat of a deep recession, Democrats will have to limit or postpone any big new spending programs, such as ones to expand health care," Reuters reports (Ferraro/Cowan, Reuters, 11/5).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/128375.php
Main News Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Appears In: Public Health,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save time! Get the latest medical news headlines for your specialist area, in a weekly newsletter e-mail. See http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsletters.php for details.
Send your press releases to pressrelease@medicalnewstoday.com
Kerry-Grassley Bill At home Care
----------------------------------------------------------------------
07/24/2008
Kerry-Grassley Bill Increases At-Home Care For Those In Need
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As millions of Americans face significant challenges when it comes to caring for loved ones who needs significant support, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today introduced the “Empowered at Home Act.” The bill seeks to increase access to home and community based services by giving states new tools and incentives to make these services more available to those in need.
“Far too many elderly or disabled Americans can’t get the help they need in their home and community,” said Sen. Kerry. “Home- and community-based services are high-quality, cost-effective, and help many people live independent lives, but Medicaid continues to favor nursing homes. It’s a problem when the nation’s largest purchaser of long-term care services is tilted towards nursing homes rather than home and community based services. This bill will level the playing field and give families real choices to care for their loved ones, and give cash-strapped states new tools to provide cost-effective long-term care options to the most vulnerable.”
“Being able to live at home greatly improves quality of life because people can be with loved ones and have the dignity that goes with greater independence,” said Sen. Grassley. “This bill encourages states to help make that possible, which is also fiscally smart because institutional care is the most expensive form of long-term care that Medicaid pays for. This bill also empowers individuals to manage the financial burdens that come with caregiving needs.”
The “Empowered at Home Act” has four basic parts:
First, it will improve the Medicaid HCBS State Plan Amendment Option by giving states more flexibility in determining eligibility for which services they can offer under the program, which will create greater options for individuals in need of long-term supports. In return we ask that states no longer cap enrollment and that services be offered throughout the entire state.
Second, the bill ensures that the same spousal impoverishment protections offered for new nursing home beneficiaries will be in place for those opting for home and community based services. In addition, low-income recipients of home and community based services will be able to keep more of their assets when they become eligible for Medicaid, allowing them to stay in their community as long as possible.
Third, the Empowered at Home Act addresses the financial needs of spouses and family members caring for a loved one by offering tax-related provisions to support family caregivers and promote the purchase of meaningful private long-term care insurance.
Finally, the bill seeks to improve the overall quality of home and community based services available by providing grants for states to invest in organizations and systems that can help to ensure a sufficient supply of high quality workers, promote health, and transform home and community based care to be more consumer-centered.
The “Empowered at Home Act” has gained support of numerous health organizations including National Council on Aging, Alzheimer’s Association, American Geriatrics Society, Trust for America’s Health, and SEIU.
###
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07/24/2008
Kerry-Grassley Bill Increases At-Home Care For Those In Need
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As millions of Americans face significant challenges when it comes to caring for loved ones who needs significant support, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today introduced the “Empowered at Home Act.” The bill seeks to increase access to home and community based services by giving states new tools and incentives to make these services more available to those in need.
“Far too many elderly or disabled Americans can’t get the help they need in their home and community,” said Sen. Kerry. “Home- and community-based services are high-quality, cost-effective, and help many people live independent lives, but Medicaid continues to favor nursing homes. It’s a problem when the nation’s largest purchaser of long-term care services is tilted towards nursing homes rather than home and community based services. This bill will level the playing field and give families real choices to care for their loved ones, and give cash-strapped states new tools to provide cost-effective long-term care options to the most vulnerable.”
“Being able to live at home greatly improves quality of life because people can be with loved ones and have the dignity that goes with greater independence,” said Sen. Grassley. “This bill encourages states to help make that possible, which is also fiscally smart because institutional care is the most expensive form of long-term care that Medicaid pays for. This bill also empowers individuals to manage the financial burdens that come with caregiving needs.”
The “Empowered at Home Act” has four basic parts:
First, it will improve the Medicaid HCBS State Plan Amendment Option by giving states more flexibility in determining eligibility for which services they can offer under the program, which will create greater options for individuals in need of long-term supports. In return we ask that states no longer cap enrollment and that services be offered throughout the entire state.
Second, the bill ensures that the same spousal impoverishment protections offered for new nursing home beneficiaries will be in place for those opting for home and community based services. In addition, low-income recipients of home and community based services will be able to keep more of their assets when they become eligible for Medicaid, allowing them to stay in their community as long as possible.
Third, the Empowered at Home Act addresses the financial needs of spouses and family members caring for a loved one by offering tax-related provisions to support family caregivers and promote the purchase of meaningful private long-term care insurance.
Finally, the bill seeks to improve the overall quality of home and community based services available by providing grants for states to invest in organizations and systems that can help to ensure a sufficient supply of high quality workers, promote health, and transform home and community based care to be more consumer-centered.
The “Empowered at Home Act” has gained support of numerous health organizations including National Council on Aging, Alzheimer’s Association, American Geriatrics Society, Trust for America’s Health, and SEIU.
###
Offices Locations
Washington D.C.
304 Russell Bldg.
Third Floor
Washington D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2742 Boston
One Bowdoin Square
Tenth Floor
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 565-8519 Springfield
Springfield Federal Building
1550 Main Street
Suite 304
Springfield, MA 01101
(413) 785-4610 Fall River
222 Milliken Place
Suite 312
Fall River, Ma 02721
(508) 677-0522
At Work In Congress | Working For MA | How Can I Help You? | About John | MA Resources | Newsroom | Contact
Sitemap | Privacy Policy | TBA
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