1) What’s Happening in the Nation’s Capital?
Keep It Classy: The 7 Senators Trying to Kill the CLASS Act
2) National News
House of Representatives Introduces Healthcare Reform Legislation
Senate Awaits Cost Estimate
Autism Speaks’ Walk on National Mall Stirs Controversy
3) State News
Important New Maryland Law Protects Parents with Disabilities
4) Announcements and Additional Resources
HHS Report Highlights How Health Insurance Reform Will Reduce Costs for Small Businesses
Keep It Classy: The 7 Senators Trying to Kill the CLASS Act
Creating quite a stir last week in Washington was one of NCIL’s top priorities: the CLASS Act! News outlets were reporting that the CLASS Act was a sticking point for several Senators, and some felt inclined to oppose the bill because of its inclusion. Seven senators sent the Majority Leader a letter expressing their concerns for the bill. Their primary concern for the bill was that it would create deficits for the country in the “out years” (the years after the period for which the Congressional Budget Office scores the bill). Despite the fact that the CLASS Act, as amended by the HELP Committee, included language that guaranteed its solvency for 75 years (which is practically unheard of for most legislation), these seven Senators still feel there is a problem:
- Senator Joe Lieberman (CT)
- Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR)
- Senator Evan Bayh (IN)
- Senator Kent Conrad (ND)
- Senator Mark Warner (VA)
- Senator Mary Landrieu (LA)
- Senator Ben Nelson (NE)
NCIL urges members in those states to call these Senators and tell them that the CLASS Act needs to be in healthcare reform!
House of Representatives Introduces Healthcare Reform Legislation
Last week, the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives released their version of reform legislation (HR 3962). The 1,990 page bill was the nearly-final product of weeks of negotiation between members of the House as they worked to blend the three versions of HR 3200 approved in committee.
The price tag of the bill falls under $900 Billion, which meets the goal set by President Obama, but has a few missing components. There are still some issues, such as healthcare for immigrants, federal funds being used for abortion services and Medicare reimbursement concerns for doctors and physicians. The House is busy working out the final details of this bill that will need to garner the 218 votes on the floor of the House. House leadership hopes to achieve that threshold this week, and then begin deliberation. It is unclear if amendments to the bill will be allowed during the floor session. The House leadership is aiming to have the bill passed out of their chamber by as early as the end of this week!
There is a lot of information in a nearly 2,000 page bill, so NCIL will distribute an alert this week to address some of the highlights and deficiencies of the bill as it currently stands.
Senate Awaits Cost Estimate
In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) made an announcement that he had finally produced a bill. Senators Reid, Chris Dodd (D-CT), and Max Baucus (D-MT) spent the last several days working on merging the bills that had passed the two Committees. The announcement was an important one because the Majority Leader decided to include a provision creating a national government-run health insurance program (the Public Option) in his bill.
The Senate is awaiting a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office on the entire Senate Bill. Once that estimate is determined, the bill will be released. The Majority Leader is keeping details to himself as he awaits a cost estimate, and is having different versions scored by the CBO because he want to publicly release a final bill with a reasonable price tag that meets the expectations of the 60 Senators he needs to bring the bill to a vote.
The bill will be public for at least 72 hours before debate begins and the Leadership is planning to have the bill passed later this month. This timeframe could prove elusive if some Senators who caucus with the Democrats support a republican filibuster. This issue was raised last week when Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) indicated that he would support a filibuster if the bill contained the Public Option.
There are a lot of rules and procedures in the Senate that can make the most experienced Senators unsure of how these final steps will play out. Once the bill is released to the floor of the Senate, a number of amendments could be offered to change it. While it seems like there are only a few steps left, there is a long way to go and nothing is certain at this point.
For more information about the healthcare reform process in the House and Senate, contact NCIL Policy Analyst, Jason Beloungy, at 202-207-0334 (toll-free 1-877-525-3400), ext.1008. Jason can also be reached by e-mail at: jason@ncil.org.
Autism Speaks’ Walk on National Mall Stirs Controversy
Source: DC’s NewsChannel 8
Thousands of people converged on the National Mall Saturday [to support "fighting autism"]. Several protesters, many of whom also fall on the autism spectrum, used the annual "Walk Now for Autism" event to point out the flaws with the event sponsor.
…The annual walk sponsored by Autism Speaks drew families and supporters from all over the D.C. area. Together they raised closed to $700,000. "This money goes toward research and autism awareness," said Joe Galli, chair of the D.C. chapter of Autism Speaks. "These kids are struggling to get the treatment that they need."
On the other end of the Mall, protesters held an event of their own questioning the practices of Autism Speaks. "They use fear and stigma and pity to try and raise money off the backs of our people," said Ari Ne'eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
The group says the money raised Saturday and at future events won't all go to help those with the disorder. "Its funding goes overwhelmingly toward things like genetic research to create a prenatal test to end our existence," said Ne'eman.
The protesters were set up where they could be seen, right near the path of Saturday's walk. They said they did get some backlash but most people were receptive and wanted to learn more.
Important New Maryland Law Protects Parents with Disabilities
Source: Baltimore Sun
On October 1, new laws went into effect that protect parents with disabilities in family court. General Assembly members heard from members of the National Federation of the Blind and others with disabilities that family court judges and social services workers were making assumptions that people with disabilities couldn't raise their children.
Essentially, people were being told they had to prove they could raise their children, even when there was no evidence of any problem. The new law clarifies that people with disabilities are assumed to be competent parents just like anyone else rather than allowing fishing expeditions by attorneys and social services workers based on fears of what might happen.
House Bill 689 says that there must be actual evidence on the record that a parent is having problems before disability may be a consideration in family court, including in matters of adoption, custody and visitation. It's a small change that will level the playing field for people with disabilities. We understand that some parents with disabilities have problems with their children, just like anyone else, but now the law just says there has to be evidence.
HHS Report Highlights How Health Insurance Reform Will Reduce Costs for Small Businesses
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, "Lower Premiums, Stronger Businesses: How Health Insurance Reform Will Bring Down Costs for Small Businesses." The report outlines the many ways health insurance reform will lower health care costs for small businesses and is available now at www.HealthReform.gov.
"Small businesses drive our economy and create jobs, but they are struggling as health care costs continue to rise," Secretary Sebelius said. "The high cost of care is making it difficult or impossible for these businesses to offer care or grow their business. Health insurance reform will bring costs down and give small businesses the relief they need."
Senator Kirk Speaks on the CLASS Act
Senator Paul G. Kirk, Jr. spoke on the floor of the United States Senate this morning of October 28 in support of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act.
Senator Kirk was appointed to replace Kennedy. NCIL thanks Senator Kirk for his strong support of the CLASS Act in healthcare reform and encourages our members in Massachusetts to call his office and thank him for his support. His statement is as follows:
“I want to address a legislative initiative that will assist our senior or infirm citizens as part of our health care reform initiative. Today in the United States there are approximately 200 million people who are elderly or disabled. These individuals are some of our most vulnerable and often they are forgotten.
But they always had a friend and advocate in Senator Ted Kennedy. He was the premier legislative innovator. Senator Kennedy understood the current system is not working, that it cried out for innovation. He knew it was wrong that in order for individuals with disabilities and the elderly to receive the services and support they need, they had to stop working, spend down their savings, abandon their dreams, abandon their homes, and possibly go into a permanent facility. All the wrong incentives for individuals who deserve dignity in those fragile years.
All this, he felt, is directly contrary to our idea of living the “American dream.” Senator Kennedy was not one to sit idly by. He acted. He acted to try to help as many of these men and women as possible. The community living assistance services and supports act, known as the CLASS Act, was at the heart of his efforts to help people with functional limitations and their families obtain the services and support they need in order to keep their independence and continue as active members of their communities. I am honored to take up that worthy cause.
Here’s how the CLASS Act will help the middle class. Under the act, a worker in Massachusetts or any other state can choose to pay into a voluntary insurance program through affordable payroll deductions. After five years of those deductions, they would be eligible for a daily cash benefit of $50 if they became disabled. That money can make a huge difference in allowing a disabled person to live with independence and with dignity. For example, it can pay for having a ramp installed in their home or pay for needed transportation or purchase a commuter to work from home and remain self-sufficient.
Some have said this innovation is unsustainable, that it is just another government benefit that will become unaffordable in the years to come. But the Congressional Budget Office and other independent auditing agencies estimate the CLASS Act will be able to maintain its solvency for 75 years. The plan is self-funded and is a cost saver for Medicaid, since fewer people would need to push themselves into poverty in order to enroll in Medicaid and receive the care they need. The CLASS Act will correct that disincentive.
The CLASS Act is a realistic answer to the serious problems of our current system, and it's important to the lives of millions of Americans. Disability could suddenly strike any of us in the years ahead. As we work to provide health insurance to the tens of millions of Americans who do not have it, it is hard to understand why we should not meet the needs of millions of people with disabilities and the elderly who desperately need our help.
I hope very much that our colleagues will support the CLASS Act as an innovative and necessary part of the current health reform bill, and I look forward to further opportunities to advance this measure, and ultimately as a part of the needed health reform bill that is coming to the floor and will help and serve the American people to its ultimate enactment.”
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November 2, 2009