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On January 19, while members of the House of Representatives debated and passed a bill (H.R. 2) to repeal health care reform, PHI and other advocates representing 150 national organizations (pdf) gathered elsewhere on Capitol Hill to voice ardent support for the Affordable Care Act.

Led by Families USA, the event featured speakers from the American Nurses Association, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, United Spinal Association, and Catholic Health Association.

Particularly compelling were messages delivered by organizations representing older adults and people living with disabilities, which noted important benefits the law provides, including:

• a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescription drugs in the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole”;
• full coverage of preventive services such as diabetes tests and prostate cancer screenings for people with Medicare;
• protection from denial of health care coverage due to pre-existing conditions; and
• the elimination of annual or lifetime caps on coverage.

Kimball Gray, speaking from his wheelchair on behalf of the United Spinal Association and National Spinal Cord Injury Association, expressed support for the law’s protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions, telling those assembled, “I am a pre-existing condition.”

Move Forward, Not in Reverse

Gray called for movement forward toward more accessible and better quality health care for all, rather than reversal of what has already been achieved.

Because the repeal effort is unlikely to progress past the House, the challenge for advocates and government officials continues to be effective implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

The Direct Care Alliance has issued a new brief (pdf) on advocacy strategies, outlining what’s at stake for direct-care workers in the Affordable Care Act implementation.

– by Gail MacInnes, PHI National Policy Analyst

Dr. Donald Berwick

PHI has joined 28 other members of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations in supporting Dr. Donald Berwick‘s nomination as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Read the full story

A new study finds that the health care costs of employees who provide care to elderly relatives or friends are 8 percent higher than those of employees who are not caregivers. Read the full story

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
September 22, 2009

Contact:

Deane Beebe, PHI Media Relations Director
718.928.2033 / dbeebe@PHInational.org

David Ward, Direct Care Alliance
212.730.0741 / dward@directcarealliance.org

Maine Grant to Expand Insurance to Direct-Care Workers

An $8.5 million federal grant to the state of Maine will expand health coverage to Maine’s direct-care workers. The grant, which was announced on September 3 by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, will also cover seasonal workers, and is expected to extend coverage to about 3,500 Maine residents. The state is eligible for renewal funds for each of five years, up to a total of $42.5 million. Read the full story

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued guidelines assuring that babies born to women covered by Medicaid or CHIP will be automatically enrolled in those programs for 1 year.

This announcement was made in a letter to state health officials (pdf) providing guidance on the implementation of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), one of the first bills signed into law by President Obama.

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Read the full story

Key committees in the House and Senate have unveiled plans to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health care.

In the Senate

Senate Finance has released three papers outlining reform options and will soon choose among these to craft their legislation.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has released a 615-page draft bill (pdf); additional components are expected to be added to address contentious issues like the creation of a public health insurance option to compete with private insurance plans, and how to finance reform. A summary of the bill’s sections (pdf) is also available. Read the full story