Legislative Articles

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2008 April 2008 April

- Update - New Laws Affect Insurance - Click Here - Update - CMS meeting in Evansville - Click Here

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Legislative Issues

Connector Study Available
During the past legislative session, many state legislatures have considered "connector" or "exchange" legislation modeled on the reforms enacted in Massachusetts in 2006, and even more will do so in 2008. NAHU and most of our state chapters have concerns about the proposed connectors or exchanges and how they could disrupt the existing private individual and/or small group markets in a state. To assist our chapters as they deal with state-level connector or exchange proposals in the coming year, NAHU has commissioned this private and independent academic research study. The paper is the first comprehensive academic document highlighting the legal and economic concerns potentially associated with the creation of a state health insurance market connector or exchange. NAHU is in the process of pitching this paper to academic journals for more widespread release, but we also want our chapters to have access to it now as a tool for communicating with state-level policymakers. If you have any questions about the study, please contact Jessica Waltman at 610-971-2404 or jwaltman@nahu.org.

Congressional In-District Meetings and Town Hall Meetings
Congress is currently out of session for their annual August in-district work period. As such, many of our chapters have scheduled meetings with their members of Congress and many members plan to attend town hall meetings sponsored by their legislators. If you, or members of your chapter, attend any of these meetings, please be sure to let the NAHU government affairs staff know, so we can follow up with your grassroots contact in Washington. In addition, while at these meetings, please make sure to address NAHU's top current federal legislative priority-the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Just before the August recess, both the House and the Senate passed very different versions of SCHIP reauthorization legislation. NAHU is OPPOSED to the House Bill, H.R. 3162. The measure significantly expands the scope of SCHIP, including providing coverage to individuals up to age 25. It does nothing to eliminate crowd-out and does not include any of NAHU's recommendations to improve premium assistance for eligible children who have access to private employer-sponsored coverage. Most disturbingly, the bill would effectively eliminate the Medicare Advantage program, which provides affordable private coverage to millions of Seniors, in order to pay for a portion of the proposed SCHIP expansion.

The Senate-passed legislation, H.R. 976, is SUPPORTED by NAHU. This measure also expands program funding, but would do in a more limited way and solely through an increase in the federal tobacco excise tax. The Senate bill also includes the majority of NAHU's recommendations regarding improving premium assistance and would help reduce crowd-out by phasing out SCHIP coverage of childless adults. Please encourage your legislators to support the Senate-passed version of the legislation as this measure moves forward in a conference committee in September. For more information on NAHU's work on the SCHIP reauthorization, please checkout our SCHIP Web page.

Upcoming Legislative Chair Training Web seminars
Please save the date! NAHU will be offering Web training seminars for state and local legislative chairs on August 21 and 23 and September 11 and 13 at 1:00pm EST. There will be two training segments offered, basic training on August 20 and September 11 and grassroots lobbying on August 23 and September 13. Each one-hour session will be repeated once to give legislative chairs maximum scheduling flexibility.

The information presented during these training seminars has been completely updated, so even if you have attended in past years, new information will be presented. Participation in these training sessions also can be used for credit for a chapter legislative excellence award application. An invitation with RSVP and login information will be mailed to all legislative chairs next week.

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Get the latest information on health care-related issues ... Medicare, Long-Term Care Insurance, Single-Payer Health Plans, Tax Credits for the Uninsured and others. Go Directly to NAHU's Positions Analyses of Issues Market Reforms Consumer-Directed Health Care Health Savings Accounts Long-Term Care Single-Payer Health Plans Tax Credits for the Uninsured High-Risk Pools - For NAHU Members and Policy-makers or For Consumers Medical Discount Card Plans Medical Liability Medicare Modernization - For NAHU Members and Policy-makers or For Consumers Medicare Advise to Employers on Part D Prescription Drug Benefit Sham Health Insurance Plans Genetic Discrimination Broker Compensation HIFA Waiver Programs for Expanding Private Sector Coverage HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 Mandated Health Insurance Benefits Privacy Initiatives State Childrens' Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Consumer Guides Guide to Individual Health Insurance Guide to Group Health Insurance Guide to Continuation of Coverage Guide To Health Savings Accounts Guide To High-Risk Pools Guide to Long-Term Care Guide to Medicare