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1-6-11 Affordable Care Act Update
January 7, 2011
Below is this week’s update on the Affordable Care Act. As always, thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families.
Vote to Repeal Affordable Care Act Set for January 12
The 112th Congress officially opened for business yesterday. The House leadership has scheduled a vote for Wednesday, January 12 on a bill (HR 2) to repeal the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. A separate vote will be held on a resolution that vaguely instructs the three House Committees with jurisdiction for health care to report out legislation (no timeframe is specified) that would replace the existing law. The bill will likely pass the House, but has virtually no chance of becoming law given that Democrats control the Senate and President Obama has the veto. Also noteworthy, the Congressional Budget Office released its preliminary analysis of HR 2 earlier today.
Following the House vote, the action will likely shift to the three jurisdictional committees in the House of Representatives for oversight hearings on specific provisions and programs established in the law that Republicans find egregious. In addition, Administration officials such as Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius will be called to the Hill for questioning on implementation. On the other side of the Capitol, the Democrat-controlled Senate committees with jurisdiction over health care will hold hearings intended to defend provisions in the law that have gone into effect and discuss the groundwork currently underway to establish state health care exchanges by 2014.
Even though the debate over the Affordable Care Act unfortunately remains highly charged and politicized, ACS CAN is focused only on the “cancer lens.” In the coming days, weeks, and months ahead ACS CAN will work with members of Congress from both political parties to educate them about the many provisions in the new law that can make a direct and marked improvement in the lives of millions of individuals and their families living with cancer. For more insight on Congressional action on health care readThe Washington Post article “House Sets Jan. 12 Vote on Repeal of Health-Care Law.”
State Implementation Update
Many states opened their 2011 legislative sessions this week with more scheduled to convene next week. With almost 700 new state legislators across the country (many of them brand new to the political process), ACS CAN has an opportunity to identify and cultivate new allies and champions to help advance the fight against cancer. In addition to ongoing work on other cancer-related priority issues, Considerable efforts will be made to educate new and returning state legislators about the Affordable Care Act, provisions in the law that benefit cancer patients and their families, and the work necessary to implement the law at the state level.
To date, California is the only state to pass a law establishing a health exchange, although several states started the process and debated the issue in their legislatures last year, including Montana, Kentucky, and Michigan. That work now resumes just as draft proposals are already circulating in a number of states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Oregon, and West Virginia. Many others will soon follow, with each state taking its own approach on how to establish and govern health exchanges. ACS CAN’s state and local campaigns team, with strong support from the policy team, stands ready to work with Society Divisions to ensure that every state protects the well being of cancer patients throughout this intricate process.
For more on the subject, read “States Grapple with Health Care” from Politico or listen to/read the transcript of an interview on NPR’s “Morning Edition” with Alan Weil, Executive Director of the National Academy for State Health Policy
Health Spending Grew in ‘09, but Slowest Increase in 50 Years
A federal report released yesterday showed that national health spending grew by a mere 4 percent in 2009, as unemployment remained high and the growing number of people without health insurance went without the care they needed. With the recession influencing people to put off appointments, fewer visits to the doctor and hospital admissions were reported. Health care still accounted for a record 17.6 percent of total economic output in 2009. The enrollment of 3.5 million people in Medicaid partially offset the slowdown in private health spending. Federal officials emphasized that none of the data released in the report reflected the impact of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March 2010. For more information about the report and 2009 Medicare spending, read the New York Times’ coverage.
More Small Businesses Offering Health Benefits
Many major insurance companies are reporting significant growth in the number of small businesses signing up to offer their workers health benefits according to the Los Angeles Times. The increase is partially attributed to a tax credit contained in the Affordable Care Act intended to help compensate companies with fewer than 25 employees and moderate-to-low pay scales for the cost of providing benefits. This tax credit, one of the first provisions in the law to take effect, can offset up to 35 percent of a company’s costs. The trend with small businesses is a sign of potential progress for our nation’s health care system.
Updated Messaging Materials Available
ACS CAN has updated its, talking points on provisions of the Affordable Care Act that help people with cancer and their families.
• The talking points focus more on key provisions already in effect that help cancer patients and families, including those that became effective on January 1, 2011.
• And remember, print copies of the American Cancer Society’s new consumer guide, “The Affordable Care Act: How It Helps People with Cancer and Their Families,” are available.
Christopher W. Hansen
President
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)