You are here: Home → Jill's Journal → 2009 → August 17, 2009---Health Care

Document Actions

August 17, 2009---Health Care

Jill's Journal

August 17, 2009

FEDERAL HEALTH CARE REFORM

Little did I know when I started putting together this summary of Kansas health care legislation that discussion of the federal health care reform bills was going to explode in local forums.

Input to Congressman Moore...

The forums scheduled by Congressman Moore have been canceled due to death threats. If you would like to give Congressman Moore written input on health care reform, take his survey at: http://www.moore.house.gov (Click on In Focus: Health Care Reform proposals--more information: health care; about half way down the next page click on "Survey" or cut and paste: http://www.moore.house.gov/Resources/documents/HealthCareSurvey.pdf). Congressman Moore will also be on KCUR”s Up to Date with Steve Kraske (89.3 FM) on Tuesday, August 18 from 11am until noon. You can call in at 816-235-2888 or email comments or questions to uptodate@kcur.org.

I recently returned from the National Congress of State Legislators’ (NCSL) Annual Conference and the Council of State Government’s Midwestern Legislative Conference. I am up to my eyeballs in health care information---reform, insurance, information technology, stimulus funds, and more. Experts and legislators alike agreed that our health care system is broken but there was little agreement as to the cause, how to fix it, or how to pay for the fix.

A Shout Out…

What should be done to reform our health care system?

Tell me what’s right with the system, what’s wrong, and, in your opinion, what would fix it. Get specific…based on your own experience:

• What works and what doesn’t?

• Do you have insurance? Has it been adequate? Do you consider it affordable?

• If you could fix one thing about health care, what would you fix?

I’ll publish a sampling of your responses in my next newsletter.

Gathering information?

Here is a list of a few nonpartisan sites that you might find useful in your search for accurate information about health reform legislation. (NOTE: I am unable to link to the complete website addresses below so you can either click on the shortened website address and use my directions to navigate the site or cut and paste the more complete address onto your browser. Sorry for the inconvenience!)

http://www.kff.org (Click on Health reform, "Side by side comparisons of major health care reform proposals" or cut and paste: http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm) This regularly-updated site from the Kaiser Family Foundation compares the different reform proposals on the table.
http://www.rwjf.com Always a wealth of information, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation site offers articles on health reform and issues in health care.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/07/14/20090714gan-healthcare-spin14-ON.html A summary of factcheck.org’s research into several arguments surrounding health-care reform published July 14, 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com (Click on health, in search box type: Primer on the details of health reform or cut and paste: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/health/policy/10facts.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=primer%20on%20the%20details%20of%20health%20reform&st=cse) “A Primer on the Details of Health Care Reform” from The New York Times, published August 9, 2009.
http://www.aarpmagazine.org (In Search box type: "8 Myths about Health Care Reform" or cut and paste: http://www.aarp.org/community/search.bt?query=8+myths+about+health+care+reform&x=0&y=0) Published in the July/August 2009 AARP Magazine, one of several informative articles on health reform.

http://www.reuters.com (Click on news, special coverage, health care reform or cut and paste: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/healthcarereform) A good source of current news, background information, and analysis.

http://www.pbs.org (Click on frontline, watch on-line, sick around the world or cut and paste: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundamerica/view/) Video interviews and analysis of five capitalist democracies and their health care system.

KANSAS HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION 2009

Here are health care bills that passed both houses and became law. I supported each of these bills.

Mental Health Parity Insurance

HB 2214 amends three statutes in the Kansas Mental Health Parity Act to require health insurance policies, on and after November 1, 2009, to provide the same benefits for the treatment of mental illness, alcoholism, drug abuse or other substance use disorder as are provided for mental illness. The benefits are to include the same deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance, out-of-pocket expenses, treatment limitations, and other limitations as they apply to other covered services. Also, an increased lifetime benefit for outpatient services will apply to small group plans and treatment limitations will be applicable to large group plans.

Automated External Defibrillator

With the passage of SB 102 any person using an automated external defibrillator in good faith to render emergency care or treatment will be held harmless from any civil damages as a result of such care or treatment.

Medical Records Maintenance Trust Fund

The Board of Healing Arts (BOHA) requested funding for the storage, maintenance, and transfer of abandoned medical records. HB 2010 establishes the Medical Records Maintenance Trust funded by a $10 increase in physician licensure fees and allows the BOHA to seek reimbursement for these services if a physician fails to provide for the safekeeping of medical records upon closing or leaving the practice.

Board of Nursing—Application for Licensure

In an effort to better accommodate home-schooled students, HB 2343 deletes the requirement in the Nurse Practice Act that applicants for LPN or RN licensure must be high school graduates. As provided in existing law, the Board may require those applicants to fulfill remedial or other requirements prior to being licensed if they are determined to be deficient in terms of educational experience.

Board of Cosmetology—Renewal Requirements

With the passage of HB 2359, cosmetologists will no longer receive a booklet with their mailed renewal exam, will be tested over infection control, and will receive notice of license renewal 30 days in advance.

Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board—Marriage and Family Therapist

With HB 2162, marriage and family therapists applying for licensure in Kansas who have not had a 500-hour practicum can receive a Kansas license after completing additional hours of direct client contact. Previously, if an applicant had not had a 500-hour practicum while in graduate school, the applicant was forever barred from a marriage and family therapy license in Kansas.

Changes to the Pharmacy Act---Methamphetamine tracking, fingerprinting, technician on duty

SB 33 makes several changes in pharmacy law. It requires the Board of Pharmacy to establish a statewide electronic logging system to track the sale of non-prescription methamphetamine precursors. The bill allows the Board of Pharmacy to require a person to be fingerprinted and submit to a state and national criminal history record check as part of an original application for, or reinstatement of, any license, registration, permit or certificate. The bill also amends existing law by requiring all pharmacy technicians to display a registration card in the pharmacy where they work instead of posting the namesof the pharmacy technicians who are currently on duty.

STILL PENDING…

Clean Indoor Air Act

Drafted by Senator David Wysong and passed by the Senate, the bill would prohibit smoking in any indoor public place, taxi cabs, common areas of public and private buildings, and any place of employment. Exceptions include casino floors, smoking areas within long-term care facilities and adult care facilities, Class A and B clubs and tobacco shops. S25 is still in conference committee awaiting probable House action next session.

OTHER NEWS…

Thanks to supporters

My thanks to those who walked with me in the July 4th Lenexa Community Days Parade: Dr. Michael Kennedy, his wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandson; Jennifer Wampler and daughters, Grace and Hope; Todd and Katy Crow and son, Dylan; Stephanie Sharp-Bruyn and daughter, Anna; and Gordon Asante. Those walkers under age 5 were big attention-getters and the Quigley hand fans were in demand as the temperature quickly rose after the brief sprinkle. Thanks also to Becky White for being my driver.

On-line voter registration

Thanks to a new program launched recently, you can now register to vote or change your voter registration online. Go to www.kssos.org or www.voteks.org. Using your Kansas driver’s license, complete the form. Your registration card will be mailed to you. What could be more convenient? Remember, the first time you vote you will have to show ID.

H1N1 (Swine) Flu Update

Kansas is likely to see waves of H1N1 flu in the coming years. Over the next two years as many as a million Kansans may get the H1N1 flu, according to Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, KDHE’s Health Officer. New guidelines to physicians suggest keeping infected patients home until free of fever for 24 hours and limiting use of anti-viral medication to those who are hospitalized or have other health problems.

Unemployment Update

In June, $78 M was paid to about 96,000 unemployed Kansans. Over the last three years when the Unemployment Trust Fund had a strong positive balance, businesses with low unemployment fund use were given premium breaks amounting to $286M. Now the increased need for benefits and the extension of benefits to as long as 52 weeks will trigger the resumption of premium payments/increase in premiums for all employers before the end of the year. Even with that increase, the current balance of $350M is not expected to match the need. Secretary Garner has announced that he will request a federal loan to bolster the Unemployment Trust Fund.

Rep. Jill Quigley

Sections

Personal tools