AANA Federal Government Affairs
HOTLINE
Number 2008-05 -- Week of Monday,
March 3, 2008
In This Issue:
* House Members Gain Support for
Title VIII Nursing Workforce
Development Programs
* Democrats
May Use Reconciliation as Vehicle
for Medicare Part B Reimbursement
Fix
*
AANA Commission on Anesthesia
Economics & Reimbursement Meets in
Washington, DC
* Amendments
>>
House Members Gain Support for Title
VIII Nursing Workforce Development
Programs
Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA)
and Steve LaTourette (R-OH) are
gaining support for increased
funding of Title 8 Nursing Workforce
Development Programs, by circulating
a “Dear Colleague” letter to members
of the House of Representatives,
asking them to sign-on in support of
$200 million in FY 2009 for these
programs. Nurse anesthesia
educational programs apply for Title
VIII Advanced Education Nursing
funds, which the Administration’s
2009 budget has again proposed to
eliminate.
The letter will be sent to the Chairman and Ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, which has jurisdiction over funding for Title VIII programs. Representatives Capps and LaTourette specify that Advanced Education Nursing (AEN) programs cannot be eliminated as the President's budget has proposed since they help to fulfill a huge need for the nursing workforce. As of last Friday (February 29th), 27 Representatives have signed the letter, but members of the House of Representatives can sign the "Dear Colleague" letter until March 14th. If your member of Congress is not listed below, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, ask for your U.S. Representative's office, and request that he/she sign the "Capps/LaTourette Dear Colleague" letter by March 14th in support of nurse educational programs. At least $200 million is needed for Title VIII to support Advanced Education Nursing programs, develop new nurses to help alleviate the nursing shortage, and direct nurses to work in underserved areas.
Representatives Allen (D-ME),
Baldwin (D-WI), Berman (D-CA),
Capps (D-CA), Carney (D-PA),
Cummings (D-MD), English (R-PA),
Harman (D-CA), Herseth (D-SD),
Hinchey (D-NY), Johnson (D-TX),
LaTourette (R-OH), McCarthy (D-NY),
McDermott (D-WA), Miller (D-NC),
Price (D-NC), Ross (D-AR),
Sarbanes (D-MD), Schakowsky (D-IL),
Schwartz (D-PA),
Shea-Porter (D-NH), Sutton (D-OH),
Taylor (D-MS), Towns (D-NY),
Waxman (D-CA), Welch (D-VT), and Wu
(D-OR), have all signed on to the
letter.
>>
Democrats May Use Reconciliation as
Vehicle for Medicare Part B
Reimbursement Fix
On Tuesday (February 26th),
leaders of the House and Senate
Budget committees said that they
might use the fiscal year 2009
budget reconciliation process to
pass a Medicare bill with a
provision to prevent a scheduled 10%
reduction in physician
reimbursements July 1st,
and an additional 5% cut January 1st,
2009. Unless Congress acts, CRNAs
will be affected by the cut on July
1st.
Use of the budget reconciliation process, which allows legislation to move through the Senate without the threat of a filibuster, is an “attractive option for Democrats who have watched Senate Republicans halt many of their priorities over the past year.” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) and House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-SC) said that they likely will make a decision about whether to use the budget reconciliation process early in the week of March 3rd (CQ Today, 2/26). Debate on the budget resolution will begin on the Senate floor during the week of March 10th (CongressDaily, 2/26). Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) seeks to delay the scheduled reduction in physician reimbursements for 18 months, a proposal that would cost between $12 billion and $15 billion over five years, as part of the Medicare bill (CongressDaily, 2/26). In December 2007, Congress passed legislation that delayed the reduction, previously scheduled to take effect on January 1st, for six months (CQ Today, 2/26). Senator Baucus also seeks to expand low-income subsidies for the prescription drug benefit and rural subsidies as part of the Medicare bill. According to analysts, the Medicare legislation could cost more than $20 billion over five years. “Offsetting that proposal will require Democrats to trim areas that are unacceptable to Republicans, such as private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.” Senator Baucus said that “Medicare Advantage is certainly on the table” as a possible source for offsets, as well as individual healthcare providers and medical education programs (CongressDaily, 2/26).
Visit the Senate Budget Committee, http://budget.senate.gov/
Visit the House Budget Committee, http://budget.house.gov/
Visit the
Senate Finance Committee,
http://www.senate.gov/~finance
>>
AANA Commission on Anesthesia
Economics & Reimbursement Meets in
Washington, DC
On Monday / Tuesday (February 4th
/ 5th), the AANA
Commission on Anesthesia Economics &
Reimbursement convened its first
in-person meeting in Washington,
DC. The Commission’s meeting was a
productive one in which
Commissioners discussed how CRNAs
could improve the current state of
nurse anesthesia payment and
practice in the interest of patients
and the healthcare system. The
Commissioners also discussed the
changing role CRNAs may play in the
current healthcare system.
After the Commission’s next meet on March 4th – 5th, Washington, DC, the Commission will begin preparing its report to the AANA Board of Directors which will include its findings and recommendations. The final report will be presented to the AANA membership at the AANA Annual Meeting in August 2008.
For
more information about the
Commission and its members please
see,
http://www.aana.com/commission.aspx
>>
Amendments
>>
For More Information
The AANA Federal Government Affairs
Hotline is published for the nurse
anesthetist members of AANA each
week Congress is in session by the
AANA Office of Federal Government
Affairs, Washington DC,
202-484-8400,
info@aanadc.com, Frank Purcell,
Senior Director. © 2008 American
Association of Nurse Anesthetists.