Legislative
Legislative Chair Duties:
• Monitor and track state and local legislation pertaining to health care.
• Write legislative articles for newsletter and web site.
• Prepares reports as requested.
• Works closely with lobbyist and legislatures.
APRIL 2010
From the Legisative Chair...
April 22, 2010 PowerPoint presentation from Mercer that is the most comprehensive I've seen so far.
This is going to be a very interesting transition period between now and 2014.
-Dennis
FEBRUARY 2010
See Senator Bayh's "Thank you, Indiana".
From the Legislative Chair.
February 2010
Contrary to what some are saying, health care reform is not yet dead! Even though voters in Massachusetts and public opinion around the country have told our elected officials to start over entirely and work in a true bipartisan fashion, Democrats in Congress and the White House are in overdrive ooking for a way to resuscitate and ram through their very partisan legislation.
This is why we need our members at this year’s Capitol Conference — to show strength in numbers that our industry stands for the right kind of health reform.
If anything is clear at this point, it’s that congressional leaders are in complete disarray as to how to move the ball forward.
Democrats are trying to appease numerous factions within their highly diverse party, and it’s likely that health reform discussions will continue for weeks to come, if not longer. As President Obama underscored in his State of the Union Address, jobs and the economy will take center stage on his domestic agenda for the near term.
But even in the unlikely event that Congress rams through some version of their bills in the next few weeks, there is still significant work to be done in the implementation and regulatory process, and our strong voices will be needed more than ever.
Now is not the time to be complacent. We need many of our members to attend this all-important Capitol Conference to learn about the lates developments in health care reform, and to present to our elected officials a dedicated constituency that looks forward to continuing to make sensible health care reforms happen!
The schedule this year will feature a full day of training and information sharing on Monday, March 8, and speakers and Capitol Hill visits on Tuesday, March 9, and Wednesday, March 10. Just some of the planned speakers and sessions include:
- Health Reform and the 2010 Election Cycle with Stuart Rothenberg
The Economic Impact of Health Reform, a discussion with Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of DHE Consulting LLC and former director of the Congressional Budget Office, and Len Nichols, director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation - How Health Reform Could Impact The States—Views of a Governor and State Insurance Commissioners
- Public Opinion and Health Reform: A Media Perspective
2010 Health Policy Priorities in the House and Senate Presented by Key Members of Congress - The Obama Administration’s Expectations Going Forward
2010 Capitol Conference
March 8– 10, Washington, D.C.
JW Marriott
Online registration fee is $350
Capitol Conference is a unique chance to sit down and share your knowledge with the people who make the laws that affect our profession and our clients.
JANUARY 2010
There are so many legislative issues right now that it is almost overwhelming. We have COBRA subsidy extension, new HIPAA/ARRA regulations, Medicare cuts, and the pending healthcare reform legislation! By now we have all seen comparisons of the Senate and Congressional plans (if not a comparison is posted on the SWIAU website). A revised Senate bill is the most likely to pass. Below is an interesting breakdown of what is wrong with the plan. Please, please, PLEASE don’t let up on your legislators. This isn’t just bad for our industry, it is bad for the country.
10 NEW THINGS
That Make Harry Reid's Updated Government-Run Health Care Experiment Just As Bad As His Last One
1. $518.5 Billion In Tax Increases On Health Insurance, Small Businesses, And Medical Treatments.
(Senate Finance Committee Minority Staff Review Of JCT And CBO Cost Estimates, 12/19/09)
2. $470.7 Billion In Total Cuts To Medicare And Medicaid Would Pay For Two New Unsustainable Entitlements. (Table 5, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 12/19/09)
3. Americans Still Won't See Benefits Of This Health Care Experiment Until 2014, But They Start Paying For It In
2010. (Page 7, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 12/19/09)
4. According To Independent Actuaries In The Obama Administration, Overall National Health Spending Will Be
Increased By $234 Billion. (Richard Foster, Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Chief Actuary, "Estimated Financial Effects Of The 'Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2009,' As Proposed By The Senate Majority Leader On
November 18, 2009," Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services, 12/10/09)
5. States Still Burdened With $26 Billion In Unfunded Mandates From Medicaid That Would Force Them To Increase Taxes. (Page 8, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 12/19/09)
6. The "Doc Fix" Provision That Would Add $250 Billion To The Deficit Is Still Not Included In The Democrats' List Price For Their Health Care Experiment. (Page 18, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid,
12/19/09)
7. A New Entitlement Program For Long-Term Care That One Democrat Senator Called "A Ponzi Scheme" Would Still Be Created. (Table 5, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 12/19/09; Shailagh Murray & Lori Montgomery, "Centrists Unsure About Reid's Public Option," The Washington Post, 10/28/09)
8. Taxpayer Dollars Would Fund Abortions. (Sec. 1303, H.R. 3590, Manager's Amendment To The Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute, "Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act," Introduced 11/18/09; Chris Frates, "NRLC Opposes Nelson Amendment," Politico's "Live Pulse" Blog, 12/19/09)
9. Gives Vast New Authority To The Office Of Personnel Management To Administer Interstate Insurance Plans Even Though CBO Determined It Won't Lower Premiums. (Pages 9, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 12/19/09)
6. An Even More Powerful New Medicare Commission Of Unelected Bureaucrats Would Ration Care. (Pages 16-17, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 12/19/09)
Dennis Woehler
Legislative Chair
Dennis.woehler@oldnationalins.com
DENNIS MEETS WITH CONGRESSMAN BUSCHON AT CAP CONFERENCE HUPAC SESSION FEB. 15, 2011
Here are some useful links: