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NHA legislative update
LINCOLN—A total of 280 legislative bills have been introduced
so far during Nebraska's 60-day regular session of the 101st Nebraska
Legislature. The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) has identified 51 of the 280
as 'bills of interest' to Nebraska's hospitals.
Legislature has already begun debate on General File legislation. Listed below
are bills of interest that have a hearing next week:
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LB 698
- Sponsored by Senator Louden, this bill would eliminate certain insurance premium tax
provisions. The hearing is scheduled for 1/20/10
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LB 701 - Sponsored by Senator Hadley, this bill would change distribution of ICF/MR
Reimbursement Protection Fund. The hearing is scheduled for 1/20/10
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LB 702 - Sponsored by Senator Gloor, this bill would change provisions relating to a patient's
access to medical records. The hearing is scheduled for 1/20/10
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LB 706 - Sponsored by Senator Haar, this bill would provide fees for competency
assessments of hearing interpreters. The hearing is scheduled for 1/20/10
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LB 710 - Sponsored by Senator Dierks, this bill would prohibit performance of chiropractic
adjustments as prescribed. The hearing is scheduled for 1/21/10
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LB 714 - Sponsored by Senator Avery, this bill would change
requirements for disclaimers on political material. The hearing is scheduled for 1/21/10
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LB 726 - Sponsored by Senator Karpisek, this bill would
provide requirements for staff training under the Alzheimer's Special Care
Disclosure Act. The hearing is scheduled for 1/20/10
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LB 742 - Sponsored by Senator McCoy, this bill would
provide requirements for settlement agreements involving public entities and
provide that such agreements are public records. The hearing is scheduled
for 1/21/10
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LB 766 - Sponsored by Senator Gloor, this bill would
repeal the termination date for the Nebraska Center for Nursing Act. The
hearing is scheduled for 1/20/10
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LB 790
- Sponsored by Senator Nordquist, this bill would require a report relating to employed
recipients of benefits under the medical
assistance program. The hearing is scheduled for 1/21/10
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LB 803 - Sponsored by Senator Nordquist, this bill would
exclude licensed physical therapists from the Chiropractic Practice Act. The
hearing is scheduled for 1/21/10
All new bills must be introduced by Thursday, January 21.
Click here to view the NHA
2010 Bills of Interest Summary. For additional
legislative updates, visit www.nhanet.org.
— Nebraska Hospital Association, January 15, 2010
Governor prioritizes economy, education and government efficiency
LINCOLN—Focusing on the economy, education and increased state government efficiency, Governor Dave Heineman delivered his annual State of the State address to lawmakers January 14.
The governor began by thanking senators for their work during last year’s special session.
Read more. — Unicameral Update,
January 14, 2010
LINCOLN—Senators advanced a bill from general file January 12 that makes changes to the election process.
While
LB 325, introduced by Omaha Senator John Nelson, would make mostly technical changes to the election process, debate centered on a section of the bill relating to provisional ballots, which are only counted if voter registration is verified.
Read more.
— Unicameral Update, January 12, 2010
Nelson to Reid: Treat states alike
WASHINGTON—Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-NV), today to remove Nebraska's special Medicaid exemption in the health care
bill.
"I request that this specific exemption for the State of Nebraska be removed,
and that it instead be replaced with a provision giving all state governments
the same treatment regarding the state match for the new Medicaid expansion,"
Nelson wrote in a letter to Reid.
Read more.
— Omaha World-Herald, January 15, 2010
Health conferees checking daily with Ben Nelson
WASHINGTON—Senator Ben Nelson said Thursday he's in daily contact with health care reform negotiators in Washington as they attempt to fashion a final bill that can win 60 Senate votes.
Nelson once again is positioned to be the critical 60th vote when the final legislative package agreed to by Senate-House conferees returns to both houses for a final vote.
"They're heading in the right direction overall" as they merge the Senate and House bills, Nelson said during a stop in Lincoln.
Read more.
— Lincoln Journal Star, January 14, 2010
WASHINGTON—Democratic negotiators acceded to union demands for a scaled-back tax on high-end health-insurance plans, exempting union contracts from the tax until 2018, five years beyond the start date for other workers.
The deal helped Democrats clear a key hurdle, but the reduced tax added to the pressure to find new revenue to pay for their health bill, which is designed to give coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans. Negotiators were considering increasing the financial hit on drug makers, nursing homes and medical-device makers, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Read more.
— Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2010
WASHINGTON—The White House has overcome last major obstacle blocking enactment of health care legislation, cutting a deal with organized labor on how to tax high-cost insurance policies, the Washington Post
reports. The agreement would exempt union members from a proposed surtax on expensive insurance plans until 2018, five years after the legislation would take effect. The tax is a key source of financing for Democrats' plan to extend coverage to as many as 36 million additional Americans over the next decade, reports the
Post.
Read more.
— Washington Post, January 15, 2010
For more information about health-related
legislative bills or resolutions, contact: Bruce Rieker, Vice President,
Advocacy, at (402) 742-8146 or
brieker@nhanet.org
or Cora Micek, Advocacy Coordinator, at (402) 742-8153 or
cmicek@nhanet.org.
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 www.nhanet.org. Kelley Porter,
editor, at (402) 742-8151, or email,
kporter@nhanet.org.
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