New Co-Sponsors for the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act

Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) signed on this week as co-sponsors to the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act (H.R. 868). Thank you to all those who also contacted their members urging them to sign on. Read more!

Massachusetts Governor Makes Budget Deal Protecting Bulk of DD Services

Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, has shielded the bulk of DDS services and supports from an earlier anticipated reduction that would have cut services for thousands of people with developmental disabilities. Specific 9C DDS budget impacts were outlined. To implement the Governor's 9C decisions, the Legislature must still grant the Governor expanded 9C authority.

Special thank you to Gary Blumenthal for providing us with this information. Read more!

Oregon Becomes First State in Nation to Report No ICFs/MR.

On Tuesday, October 27th, the last person in Oregon has been moved out of an ICF/MR with the closure of the Eastern Oregon Training Center. Oregon will have no state (public) or privately-operated ICFs/MR and will be operating 100% under HCBS waivers. Thanks to Mona McGee of Mosaic for this update.

On Oregon’s state budget front, Tim Kral from Oregon’s state association reports that the budget did not include a COLA and developmental disability services only received minor cuts to date. However, if revenues fall, a special session may be held in early 2010 to make cuts. Thanks to Tim for the update.
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Hoyer Announces House to Meet Beyond Targeted Adjournment Date

In a press release, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced the House is scheduled to be in session for the entire week of November 2, and is prepared to be in session the first weekend of November if necessary. In addition to the scheduled session in the week of November 16, members are asked to reserve the following days in case they need to be here to pass health insurance reform: Monday, November 9th; Tuesday, November 10th; Monday, November 23rd; and Tuesday, November 24th. Read more!

FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of Intravenous Antiviral Peramivir for 2009 H1N1 Influenza for Certain Patients, Settings

In response to a request from the CDC, the FDA announced it has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the investigational antiviral drug peramivir intravenous (IV) in certain adult and pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected 2009 H1N1 influenza infection who are admitted to a hospital. Specifically, IV peramivir is authorized only for hospitalized adult and pediatric patients for whom therapy with an IV drug is clinically appropriate, based on one or more of the following reasons:
1. the patient is not responding to either oral or inhaled antiviral therapy, or
2. when drug delivery by a route other than an intravenous route -- e.g., enteral (absorbed by the intestines) or inhaled -- is not expected to be dependable or feasible;
3. for adults only, when the clinician judges IV therapy is appropriate due to other circumstances. Read more!

Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency

October 24th, President Obama declared the swine flu a national emergency, allowing hospitals and local governments to speedily set up alternate sites and procedures if needed to handle any surge of patients. White House spokesman Reid Cherlin emphasized that this declaration was not in response to any new information but was rather a preventative measure. The declaration allows hospitals to apply to the Department of Health and Human Services for waivers from laws that in normal times are intended to protect patients’ privacy and to ensure that they are not discriminated against based on their source of payment for care, including Medicare, Medicaid and the states’ Children’s Health Insurance Program.
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Unionization Voted Down by Illinois Home Care Workers

Illinois Home-Based Support Services workers have voted for no representation by both AFSCME and SEIU here. Governor Quinn signed an Executive Order this past June that allowed for collective bargaining by individual providers of home-based support services to persons with developmental disabilities. Thank you to Ken Lovan for providing ANCOR with this information. Read more!

CLASS Act and Community First Choice Option

Urgent! Contact Senators Critical to CLASS Act Inclusion in Merged Health Reform Bill

This week, Senators working on the merging of the Senate Finance and Senate HELP health care reform bills will be focusing on the CLASS Act. It is essential that ANCOR members who are constituents of the following key Senators call or fax their offices and tell them the CLASS Act MUST be included in the merged health care bill: Senators Reid (D-NV), Baucus (D-MT), Snowe (R-ME), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Schumer (D-NY), Bingaman (D-NM), Nelson (D-NE), Dodd (D-CT), Harkin (D-IA), Mikulski (D-MD), and Whitehouse (D-RI), Warner (D-VA), Webb (D-VA), Landrieu (D-LA), Bayh (D-IN), Lincoln (D-AR), Pryor (D-AR), and Tim Johnson (D-SD). Use ANCOR’s online congressional directory to get contact information.

We must work on these Senators TODAY. Message: The CLASS Act MUST be included in the merged health care bill.

Over 270 national organizations support the CLASS Act. The CLASS Act would: 1) provide a new private source of funding for ANCOR providers of long term supports and services 2)reduce federal deficit by 74 billion over 10 years 3) produce a savings to Medicaid of nearly 2 billion in first five years of implementation. The CLASS Act is fiscally solvent for 75 years.

Call Jessica Sadowsky 703-535-7850 ext. 104 if you have any questions.

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New York suspends mandatory H1N1 shots for health workers

New York public health workers will no longer be required to be vaccinated against both the seasonal and H1N1 flu virus.The dispute between the public health employees and the New York State Health Department was settled by a vaccine shortage that made the requirement impossible to implement. Read more!

Alston & Bird's Health Care Reform Chart - Updated Version

The updated version Alston & Bird's Health Care Reform Chart summarizes all three of the major health care reform bills currently moving through Congress. The updated chart incorporates the Senate Finance Committee's amended proposal as released by Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) on October 2, 2009 - after Committee markup. The changes in the amended Senate Finance bill are tracked in the chart.

The chart summarizes all three of the major health care reform bills currently moving through Congress:

(1) the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (“HELP”) Committee bill (prior to markup, but incorporating coverage reforms released during markup);

(2) the House Tri-Committee bill drafted by the House Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, and Education & Labor Committees (prior to markup); and

(3) the Senate Finance Committee bill (after markup).

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45 H.R. 868 Co-Sponsors!!

Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) signed on as co-sponsors to the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act (H.R. 868). Thank you to Lowell Arye and the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities (ABCD)for working with Rep. Lance's office and Tim Sullivan with the Institute of Professional Practice Inc. for working with Rep. Shea-Porter's office. Thank you to all those who also contacted their members urging them to sign on. Read more!

Kaiser Brief on the Class Act Provisions in Health Reform

This Kaiser Family Foundation held a briefing yesterday examining the Class Act provisions in two leading health reform bills. The briefing included a summary of the measure and discussion by an expert panel. This enhanced webcast presentation includes the speakers' slides synced to the video of the briefing. A podcast is also available.

ANCOR urges you to call your Senators to encourage inclusion of the CLASS Act in final health reform legislation. Use ANCOR's online Congressional Directory for contact information. Read more!

Senate Finance statutory language “America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009"

The legislative language from the Senate Finance Committee America's Healthy Future Act has been released.To access the language click on Legislative Language of S. 1796, the America’s Healthy Future Act on the Senate Finance Committee Legislation page.
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New Co-Sponsors for Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act

Rep. Paul Hodes(D-NH) and Rep. Tim Waltz (D-MN) signed on as co-sponsors to the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act (H.R. 868). Thank you to everyone who contacted their members urging them to sign on. Read more!

Stagnant Prices Prevent Social Security Increase

Social Security recipients will not receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their 2010 benefits. The COLA will not be made for this first time since the adjustments began 34 years ago due to consumer prices falling in the July through September quarter this year. President Obama has issued support for a one-time, $250 payment to Social Security beneficiaries to hopefully bolster the finances of seniors who are suffering from the economic downturn and are accustomed to an increase in their monthly checks every January. Read more!

House Democratic Leaders Considering Even Larger Medicaid Expansion in Health Reform Overhaul and Floor Vote in Early November

Although all three of the House Committees working on health care reform adopted legislative language for reform in their areas of jurisdiction, House Democratic leaders are still working on details. This week, Speaker of the House Pelosi (D-CA) said that the House may increase the eligibility for the non-traditional Medicaid population (e.g. childless adults) from the bill’s original 133% of the federal poverty level to 150% of FPL in order to expand health care coverage to more low-income individuals through the less costly Medicaid program. Speaker Pelosi said Thursday that the House will push for the strongest public option possible to take into negotiations with the Senate on a healthcare overhaul and has asked CBO to score three different proposals to create a public health option. In addition, both the House Ways and Means and House Education and Labor Committees have sent reconciliation instructions to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), laying the groundwork to use the filibuster-proof reconciliation process to pass health care reform this year if necessary. Majority Leader Hoyer (D-MD) said this week that he did not expect a House floor vote until the first week in November. Read more!

Senate Finance Committee Adopts Health Care Plan Moving the Bill Closer to the Next Hurdle—Senate Floor Vote

Ending the suspense regarding not only Republican committee member support but also some Democratic member support, the Senate Finance Committee adopted Chairman Baucus’ health reform plan with all Democrats and Senator Snowe (R-ME) voting 14 to 9 to pass it out of committee. Type The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has said that the plan is estimated to cost $829 billion over ten years, is fully paid for, and would reduce the federal deficit by $81 billion over the first ten years. The committee’s action this week—the last of five committees to adopt health care reform—brought a “bump” in chances for and “renewed” enthusiasm for health care overhaul this year. The next steps involved some delicate “high-wire” balancing in order to gain sufficient votes to pass a bill on the Senate floor—even before a joint Senate and House final bill can emerge. The Senate Finance plan is different in key areas from the Senate HELP Committee and House health reform bills—the latter two of which include creation of public health options and an employer health care mandate. Senator Burris (D-IL) has reiterated again this week that he will not vote for a health reform bill that does not include a public health option—reducing the possibility of passage relying solely on the 60 votes of all Democrats and two Independents.

Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) began immediately on Wednesday working with Senator Baucus, Senator Dodd (D-CT) who chaired the HELP Committee during its work on a health care reform bill earlier this year while Chairman Kennedy (D-MA) was ill, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle, and President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel Health to meld the Finance and HELP bills together in order to bring a single bill to the Senate floor. The Finance plan does not include 1) creation of a public health option (contained in both HELP and House versions) or 2) employer mandate (although it places a penalty on employers who don’t provide health care for each employee that obtains coverage through a Health Exchange) but does include an individual mandate with higher penalties than the House wants. The Finance “plan,” unlike the HELP bill, is in plain text and not in legislative language format. Once the melding of the two bills take place, then a final bill will be written in legislative language and costs will be rescored by CBO. The Senate Democratic leaders will be challenged with bringing a bill forward to the Senate floor that strikes the right balance to gain the necessary 60 votes to end a filibuster. Many amendments are expected to be offered on the Senate floor, including Senate Finance Democrats Rockefeller (WV), Schumer (NY), and Wyden (OR) push for creation of a public option. While Republicans are also expected to bring forth amendments on the floor—tort reform, reduction in individual penalties—such changes if accepted are unlikely to Republican votes. The challenge will be in crafting a Senate bill that does not alienate moderate Democrats in the Senate and may yet attract Senator Snowe and/or a few other Republicans.

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Maine Faces More Budget Cuts

State departments in the state of Maine are being asked to recommend ways to cut their budgets by $200 million. The state departments have two weeks two come up with suggestions as Ryan Low, commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, and Gov. John Baldacci prepare a supplemental budget. Each department has been given an individual target with Health and Human Services and Education set to receive the largest cuts.

Thank you to Bonnie Jean Brooks providing this update. Read more!

Chart Tracking States’ Spending

ProPublica has a tracking site for stimulas (ARRA) funding to states. Read more!

Iowa State Budget Update

Thursday, October 8, 2009 Governor Chet Culver of Iowa announced a 10% across the board cut. Up until now, Medicaid providers in Iowa had been exempted from the two previous cuts due to the federal stimulus dollars.

Most Medicaid eligible recipients in Iowa have their local match paid by their county of legal settlement rather than the state. The only savings to the state would be for persons who are state cases and do not have a determined county of legal settlement. The estimate for ICFs/MR is that with a 10% rate cut the state would forfeit $12M in federal funding to save only $400,000 in state dollars, or a loss of $30 for every dollar saved.

It is unsure at the point whether Iowa may require legislative action for cutting Medicaid. That would mean the Governor Culver would have either to call for a special legislative session or wait until the next session convenes in January.

Thank you to Rod Braun from Christian Opportunity for this update.
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