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NHA offers testimony at recent bill hearings
- Support for LB
48 – Exempt certified registered nurse anesthetists from certain radiation-use qualifications
- Support of LB 144
– Adopt the Hepatitis C Education and Prevention Act
- Oppose
to LB 194 – Change disciplinary provisions of the Uniform Licensing Law
- Support of LB 395 - Adopt a Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act (testimony provided by
Kevin Nokels, Vice President/COO, Alegent Health-Midlands Hospital, Papillion)
- Support of LB 463 – Adopt the Uniform Credentialing Act
- Support
of LB 491 - Change concealed handguns provisions (testimony provided
by Brad Sher, VP of Managed Care/Public Policy, BryanLGH Medical Center, Lincoln)
- Opposition to LB 586 – Change medical lien provisions
NHA sends alert regarding Clean Indoor Air Act
Last week, the NHA sent an email alert to all member hospital CEOs and Advocacy Teams, asking for support of LB 395, the Clean Indoor Air Act. NHA testified in support of this bill at the HHS Committee hearing on Thursday, Feb. 1.
According to data from the National Institute of Health, tobacco-related diseases account for 440,000 deaths each year in the United States – roughly one in every five deaths. The annual direct medical cost of smoking in 1999 was about $75 billion with a projected loss of productivity of about $500 for every man, woman and child. Second hand smoke accounts for over 50,000 deaths every year.
The email alert provided information for advocates to use in communicating to the HHS Committee members and their own senator. Your opinion is important to senators. When you see an NHA Advocacy Alert in your email inbox, please take a moment to fill out the form and email your senator. Your participation makes a difference.
Hearing schedule for Feb. 5-9
Monday, February 5
LB 255 (S) (Business & Labor) Change the Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act
LB 271 (S) (Business & Labor) Change fringe benefit provisions under the Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act
Wednesday, February 7
LB 373 (S) (Judiciary) Provide for inadmissibility of apologies regarding medical care as evidence
LB 400 (M) (HHS) Require an audit of Medicaid drug rebate payments
LB 426 (S) (HHS) Adopt the Pharmacy Technician Act
LB 448 (M) (Judiciary) Change limitation of action provisions under the Political Subdivisions Tort Claims Act
LB 451 (M) (HHS) Change provisions relating to release of patient information by a pharmacist
LB 577 (M) (HHS) Provide for reimbursement for generic prescriptions
LB 675 (M) (HHS) Require disclosures of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies
Thursday, February 8
LB 247 (M) (HHS) Change provisions relating to pharmaceuticals
LB 399 (S) (HHS) Adopt the Perfusion Practice Act
LB 479 (M) (HHS) Change provisions relating to radiologists and speech-language pathologists
LB 514 (S) (Revenue) Provide an income tax credit for employer contributions to employee long-term care insurance
LB 530 (M) (Natural Resources) Change Storm Water Management Plan Program provisions
LB 531 (S) (Revenue) Provide tax credits for employers providing health insurance
LB 534 (S) (Natural Resources) Change provisions relating to urban storm water drainage
Friday, February 9 – RECESS DAY
Bills target insurance problems
Let's say you own a business and one of your employees gets a serious medical condition likely to send your group insurance rates sky-high.
Why not pay the premiums for that one employee to drop out of your group plan and join the state's tax-subsidized health plan, so that his medical bills don't count against your group insurance rates?
Let's say you run a medical treatment center, and one of your clients is eligible for Medicaid, which pays a lot less per treatment than you would get from the state-subsidized insurance plan. Why not help pay that client's premiums to belong to the state plan?
Both actions are known as dumping, and Nebraska Insurance Commissioner Tim Wagner believes, but doesn't know for sure, that they happen here.
Such practices, while they may be rare, are illegal and unfair, Wagner said, because the state-subsidized Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool is intended only for people who can't get Medicaid or regular insurance through employers or as individuals.
This year's Legislature is considering legislative bill 118 to outlaw the practice of dumping high-risk patients into the state pool. The fund faces a deficit, even though the state pumped $23.5 million into it last year from insurance premium taxes collected by Nebraska.
Read the complete story by Steve Jordon on the Omaha World Herald Web
site.
-- Omaha World Herald, Feb. 1, 2007.
Human services revision gets first-round approval
Gov. Dave Heineman's proposed reorganization of Nebraska's Health and Human Services System sailed through first-round debate in the Legislature without a dissenting vote Monday.
Lawmakers made no attempt to change the proposal as they gave it first-round approval, 41-0.
Heineman said he was gratified by the "overwhelmingly positive vote."
"It's a reflection of the work we've done with the Legislature and all the interested groups that care about the services that Health and Human Services provides," he said.
Read the complete story by Leslie Reed on the Omaha World Herald Web site.
-- Omaha World Herald, Jan. 30, 2007.
Governor makes rare appearance to push for tax cuts
Faced with numerous tax-cut plans that will compete with his own, Gov. Dave Heineman made the rare move of taking his case directly to state senators Wednesday.
Heineman said his package of tax cuts, which hinges on income tax reductions and would cost more than $476 million over the two-year budget cycle that begins in July, “puts Nebraska in a position to improve our national stature and grow jobs.”
Heineman told the Revenue Committee he was delighted there are so many tax-cut options to consider this year.
Read the complete story by Nate Jenkins on the Lincoln Journal Star Web site.
-- Jan. 30, 2007
Group presents health care reform ideas to Hagel
(AP) – A 15-member panel that spent most of the past year looking for ways to improve this country's health care system delivered its recommendations to U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel on Friday. The commission recommends mandating basic health insurance for all Americans and creating a new federal agency to develop and oversee that basic health plan. A combination of private premiums and public dollars, including a national tax on alcohol and tobacco consumption, would be needed to pay for the reforms. Hagel, who is considering a 2008 presidential run, said he would use the group's recommendations to help him craft bills he wants to introduce. The Nebraska Republican appointed the commission of doctors and health care executives last February. The panel was led by Charles Marr, former chief executive officer of Alegent Health in Omaha. Nine members of the panel were doctors from across Nebraska. Some of the group's key recommendations are to create a mandatory dispute resolution process for malpractice claims; to expand the nation's public health system; to create secure, standardized electronic medical records for individuals; and to establish incentives to attract doctors and other health care workers to high-need areas. The group suggests employers and poor individuals pay their premiums.
NHA Advocacy Day, March 21, 2007
NHA Advocacy Day is an annual event presented by the Nebraska Hospital Association. This half-day workshop will provide hospital CEOs, Advocacy Team members, trustees, key hospital staff and other health care advocates with important information about state legislative issues.
YOUR PARTICIPATION IS IMPORTANT
This event will highlight the 2007 legislative issues that will impact your hospital and the ability to deliver excellent health care to your community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During the luncheon, you will have an opportunity to help your state senator understand how legislation will affect health care in your community.
Please plan now to join us Wednesday, March 21, 2007, at The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln for NHA Advocacy Day.
Click
here for more information and registration.
If you have questions about NHA Advocacy Day, please contact Kris Claussen, Office Administrator, at 402/742-8145 or
kclaussen@nhanet.org.
NHA testimony presented at the hearings can be found on the NHA Web site Advocacy Page-Bill
Status.
NHA Rotunda Review is published by the Nebraska Hospital Association, 3255 Salt
Creek Circle, Lincoln, NE 68504. Phone (402) 742-8140, Fax (402) 742-8191. Visit our Web site at
http://www.nhanet.org. Molly Nance, editor, at
402/742-8151, or email,
mnance@nhanet.org.
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