Legislative Call Agenda, Thursday February 5th, 3:00PM EST

 

Please note the PCPCC's new address, phone number and email address; located at the bottom of this agenda


Legislative Committee Conference Call

3:00 pm EST, Thursday, February 5th


Call in number: 712-432-3900
Passcode: 471334#
Moderator Code: 406354
Please press *6 on your phone to mute and *7 to unmute.

 

I. Upcoming Meeting(s)

  • February 5th, 4:00PM EST, Patricia DeLoache, Office of Senator Orrin Hatch, 104 Hart Senate Office Building
  • February 5th, 4:45PM EST, Nicole Tapay, Office of Senator Ron Wyden, 223 Dirksen Building
  • February 6th, 2:00PM EST, Dr. Ken Thorpe, Executive Director, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, Dial-In Number: 712-432-3900, Passcode: 471334#.

II.  $819 Billion Economic Stimulus Package to go in Front of Senate

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says a final vote on President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package could happen as early as today, Thursday.
 

III. President Obama Signs SCHIP Legislation
 
On Wednesday, February 4th, President Barack Obama signed extending health insurance to millions of low-income children.
President Obama signed legislation on Wednesday extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, ending a two-year Democratic effort to enact a bill that former president Bush had vetoed.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed it as "the beginning of the change that the American people voted for in the last election,"and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy praised Obama for "making this bill one of his earliest priorities."
 
IV. Hearing on “Crossing the Quality Chasm in Health Care Reform” Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions"
 
On January 29th, Karen Davis, President of The Commonwealth Fund, testified in from of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the strategies for moving towards a high performance health system.  The patient-centered medical home was mentioned. To read the complete testimony, please click here.
 
V. Request to Congress for Legislation to Improve Primary Care
 
Attached at the bottom of this email please find two letters, from the American College of Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association, asking Congress to include the improvement of patient centered primary care and medical homes in the upcoming stimulus package.  We ask that you send similar requests, on behalf of your organizations to Congress.
 

VI. Senate Panel Hearing on Health IT Investment

On Thursday, January 15th at 10:00AM EST, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on “Investing in Health IT (information technology): A Stimulus for a Healthier America,” in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.  For more information, including downloading a replay of the hearing, please click here.

VII. Additional Legislative Goals to Promote Primary Care

  • Broaden the Medicare Medical Home Demo so that it is national in scope.  Subsequently, it should become permanent feature of the Medicare program.
  • Increase funding for National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs
  • Expand primary care health professions programs in Sec. 747 of Title VII of the Public Health Service Act
  • Provide additional pathways for scholarships and loan forgiveness programs to create incentives for new physicians to choose careers in primary care
  • Increase Medicare payments for primary care services
  • Develop and include some language about engaging consumers/patients as part of the target for stimulus dollars and health reform

VIII. Recent Hill Meetings

  • February 5th, 1:00PM EST, Sara Selgrade, Ph.D., ASHG/NHGRI Genetics and Public Policy Fellow, Office of Senator Tom Harkin, 731 Hart Senate Office Building 
  • February 3rd, 11:00AM EST, Amy Hall (Rep. Henry Waxman's staff) and Hasan Sarsour (Rep. Frank Pallone's staff), House Energy and Commerce Commitee staff, 2125 Rayburn Building
  • January 16th, 1:00PM EST, Elizabeth Engel and Dora Hughes, Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, 451 6th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20001
  • January 16th, 10:00AM EST, Gretchen Alkema, PhD, John Heinz/ Health and Aging Policy Fellow, Senator Blanche Lincoln's staff, 355 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington D.C.  20510
  • On Tuesday, January 13th, at 5:00PM EST, the Collaborative met with Senator Grassley's (R-IA) staff.
  • On Monday January 12th, at 1:30PM EST, the Collaborative met with the staff of Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) to discuss inclusion of SCHIP/Medicaid Transformation Grants for medical homes in SCHIP reauthorization.  The meeting was held in room 2335 of the Rayburn Building.  According to Heath Foster, staffperson for Rep. DeGette, the House is very unlikely to accept new provision for SCHIP reauthorization at this time.  Fortunately, the PCMH is on the radar of the Energy and Commerce Committee.  Foster also recommended targeting health care reform as a method of bring the PCMH movement to the forefront.
  • On Friday, January 9th, at 11:00 AM EST, the Collaborative met with Mayra Alvarez in Senator Durbin's office, at 309 Hart, to discuss having language included in the SCHIP reauthorization that would provide grant money to states that utilize the Patient Centered Medical Home model.  Participation is limited to only six people, so if you are interested in attending, please contact Edwina Rogers, at erogers@pcpcc.net or 202-724-3331.
  • On Friday, January 9th, at 9:30 AM EST, the Collaborative met with Kelly Whitener and David Schwartz of the Senate Finance Committee.
  • On Friday, January 9th, at 9:30 AM EST, the Collaborative met with Katy Barr of Senate HELP to discuss HIT issues.

Meetings needed

  • Committee on Ways & Means
IX. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Fortney (Pete) Stark, D-Calif, Introduces Health IT Bill
 
Prior to the Inaguaration of President Obama, House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark introduced legislation, looking to overhaul the U.S. Healthcare system through advances in technology.  To read more on the Health IT bill, please click here.

 

X. Multi-CEO Letter to Congress in Support of President Obama's High Tech Stimulus Initiatives

IBM has drafted a letter of support for Congress' HIT bill.  The letter states that the investment in America's IT network infrastructure will address the need for health care IT improvement, such as electronic medical record keeping, as well as not only stimulate the economy, but promote long-term growth.  The letter, in its entirety, can be found at the bottom of the agenda.

XI. Miscellaneous

  • Health Care Reform Plans being developed by Congressional Representatives.

The Healty Americans Act, sponsored by Senator Rob Wyden (D-Oregon) and Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) is the first bipartisan health reform proposal in more than a decade to gaurentee affordable, healthcare quality for all.  To view a draft of The Healthy Americans Act, please click here.

H.R. 5348: American Health Benefits Program Act of 2008, sponsored by Rep. James Langevin (D-RI) and co-sponsored by Rep. Christopher Shay (R-CT) amends the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish under a new title XXII (American Health Benefits Program) a program to provide comprehensive health insurance coverage to all Americans who are: (1) not covered under certain federal health insurance programs; and (2) not eligible for employer-provided insurance coverage.  To view the bill as it was introduced in the House, please click here.

 

Edwina Rogers
Executive Director
and
Relja Ugrinic
Director of Operations and External Affairs

Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative
The Homer Building
601 Thirteenth Street, NW, Suite 400 North
Washington, DC 20005
Edwina Direct:  (202) 724-3331
Edwina Cell: (202) 674-7800
Relja Direct:  (202) 724-3332
Relja Cell: (703) 585-9165
Fax: (202) 393-6148

erogers@pcpcc.net

rugrinic@pcpcc.net

 

 

 

AttachmentSize
H.R. 1--American Recovery and Reinvestment Act--Speaker Pelosi--012709.pdf91.48 KB
Stimulus package letter to Senate.doc72 KB
Multi-CEO Letter to Congress in Support of President Obama's High Tech Stimulus Initiatives.doc28 KB