Incentives for wellness programs

Neil has joined Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-IL) in introducing legislation (H.R. 3490) that would provide a $400 tax credit to employers for each employee enrolled in a wellness program, and would provide a $400 tax credit for employees who participate in the employer-provided wellness program. The legislation also require that at least 60 percent of employees participate in the program.

NPR’s health focus on Hawaii

NPR has interviewed Neil about Hawaii’s Pre-Paid Health Care Act, as it relates to pending health insurance reform legislation in Congress. Story should be heard on NPR sometime after Nov. 18. Will let you know if we can get a specific date.

Unemployment benefits extension

Our office has received requests for an update on the extension of unemployment benefits, which was made possible by a bill recently approved by Congress and signed into law by the President. Hawaii residents are eligible for an additional 14 weeks of unemployment benefits. The rules governing this extension were released to states on November 13th, so the unemployment compensation offices should be able to start the extension soon. If you have any questions about your benefits, please contact your local unemployment office to make sure you are still signed up, particularly if your benefits have lapsed, and for further details about when the first checks will be issued

Subprime mortgage documentary

“American Casino” is a newly-released movie that explores the subprime mortgage scandal, its causes and its victims. From investigative journalists Andrew & Leslie Cockburn, the documentary shows how mortgages were packaged, resold and, when the housing bubble deflated, how the subprime mortgage sector crashed and burned, victimizing homeowners and communities. (Where can you see these features other than at special showings?)

Economic recovery funds at work

Neil got a firsthand look at how economic recovery funding is being put to work in Hawaii–creating jobs and protecting our coastal waters. Neil waded into the waters of Maunalua Bay today to take part in an ongoing algae-removal project which is receiving a big boost by federal economic recovery funds. The Nature Conservancy and Malama Maunalua will use the new funding, totaling $3.4M from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to hire workers who will help to support the project.

Recent surveys by state biologists have identified 54 acres of dense mud weed infestation. This project will hire dozens of workers to remove mud weed from 22 acres in Maunalua Bay. Ultimately, the goal is to restore the bay to the point where it can naturally control the growth.

In the last three years, community volunteers have removed more than 25 tons of invasive algae from Maunalua Bay. The cleared areas have remained free of algae, and scientists are finding growing evidence of the return of native species.

Invasive alien algae have been identified as one of the biggest threats to Hawaii’s coral reef ecosystems.

What’s it to you?

Use this interactive program to get basic information on how the recently passed healthcare reform bill affects you.

Health insurance reform bill approved

Rep. Neil Abercrombie issued this statement after the House approved the Affordable Health Care for America Act on Saturday night:

“Tonight’s passage of healthcare reform contained in the Affordable Health Care for America Act by the House of Representatives is step one in the most momentous advance in the American people’s health and well-being since President Johnson signed the Social Security Act Amendments into law in 1964 and enacted Medicare.

“I voted for healthcare reform because it makes healthcare more affordable and accessible for Hawaii families, and it protects our Prepaid Health Care Act. We’ve been ahead of the rest of the country since 1974, and this legislation will not change that.

“The healthcare reform legislation will improve the lives of millions of Americans; those who cannot afford health insurance; those who are denied health insurance; those who have inadequate health insurance; those who are going broke to pay for health insurance. Among those Americans who will benefit are thousands of our family and friends in Hawaii.

• It provides tax credits to help as many as 116,000 Hawaii families pay for healthcare insurance.  These are families who can’t afford it now.
• It improves Medicare services for 105,000 Hawaii Seniors. It closes the prescription drug ‘donut hole’ that forces 11,900 people here to pay more than they should for medicine.
• It ensures that 3,800 people in Hawaii can’t be prevented from getting health insurance because of pre-existing medical conditions.
• It makes healthcare coverage more affordable for 15,000 of our small businesses.  As many as 13,200 of them will be eligible for tax credits to help reduce costs.
• It will help an estimated 500 Hawaii families avoid bankruptcy every year from crushing medical costs.
• It reduces the $69 million dollars we pay every year for uncompensated medical care.  Today, our local and state governments cover about 75% of it, and Hawaii families pay an extra $700 a year in health insurance premiums.

“If you get your healthcare through your job, the Healthcare Reform Plan will improve the coverage by:

• Limiting exclusions for pre-existing conditions (Effective January 1, 2010);
• Prohibiting health insurance companies from cancelling coverage except in cases of fraud (Effective July 1, 2010);
• Requiring health insurers to allow individuals up to the age of 27 to remain on their parents’ health insurance (Effective January 1, 2010);
• Prohibiting health insurers from imposing lifetime limits on benefits (Effective January 1, 2010);
• Prohibiting employers from reducing retiree health benefits below what was offered at the time of their retirement unless reductions are also made to active workers’ health benefits (Effective on date of enactment);
• Prohibiting insurers from limiting or denying coverage based on injuries stemming from domestic violence (Effective January 1, 2010); and
• Requiring plans to pay for reconstructive surgery for children with deformities (Effective January 1, 2010).

“The legislation we approved tonight is not perfect, nor is it the final word on healthcare. But it is a momentous step. Healthcare reform has been talked about since the 1950s, yet proponents have never been able to overcome the special interests that make a lot of money under the present system and want to keep things just the way they are. They’ve had things their way for a long time. It’s your turn.”

Health insurance reform bill readied for vote

The U.S. House of Representatives is on the eve of a vote to reform our nation’s health insurance system.

Consider casting a vote on our blog’s poll on the reform bill.

The comprehensive bill addresses many issues, among them: Ensuring affordable, quality health care for Americans, especially young people who have the highest probability of being uninsured of any age group. In fact, 47% of people aged 19-34 are uninsured and 1 in 3 went without coverage last year. With a few simple reforms, the Affordable Health Care for America Act makes it easier for these young Americans to access and afford quality health care, providing them with the security and stability they need.

Among the reforms that will help ensure young Americans have access to affordable and quality coverage:

• Allowing young adults to stay on their parent’s health insurance until their 27th birthday.
• One-stop comparison shopping through a health insurance exchange – giving young people access to a menu of quality plans at lower group rates, including a public health insurance plan that will compete with private insurers. 
• Affordability credits to those who cannot afford insurance to help pay for premiums in the exchange.
• Free preventive care. · Ending discrimination by insurance companies if you have a “pre-existing condition.”
• A cap on your out-of-pocket expenses, and no annual or lifetime limit on coverage.
• Flexibility and insurance security as you begin your career – knowing that you can keep your employer plan through the extended COBRA law, or that you can easily find affordable, quality coverage through the exchange.

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Extension of jobless benefits, homebuyer tax credit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved essential legislation to stimulate the economy and provide stability to American families.

The House Passed H.R. 3548, the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 403 to 12. The legislation will help continue America’s economic recovery by extending unemployment benefits for millions of workers looking for jobs, as well as extending, expanding and improving the homebuyer tax credit, and providing tax relief for military families and businesses.

Unemployment insurance
The legislation extends unemployment insurance by up to 14 additional weeks for jobless workers in every state, and a total of up to 20 weeks for workers in states with unemployment levels over 8.5 percent. This provision will help more than 1.3 million jobless Americans whose benefits are set to expire by the end of the year and is fully paid for by an extension of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) through June 30, 2011.

Homebuyer tax credit
The bill also strengthens the domestic housing market by extending the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit through April 30, 2010, allowing purchasers under a binding contract an additional 60 days to close after that date. Additionally, it will provide a $6,500 credit to new purchasers who have lived in their current residence for five years or more out of the previous eight years.

The bill would also increase the income limits on the credit to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for joint filers (the current law credit phases out for individuals with income starting at $75,000 and for joint filers with income starting at $150,000).

H.R. 3548 also makes critical improvements to administration of the homebuyer credit, based on provisions introduced by Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Lewis, to crack down on potential abuses.

The bill will also eliminate the first-time homebuyers recapture requirement for military personnel, including members of the Foreign Service and intelligence community, who are forced to sell as a result of an official extended duty of service and will allow military personnel serving outside the United States at least 90 days in 2009 or 2010, one additional year to qualify for the credit.

Additional Information on the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009:

Emergency Unemployment Benefits Extension

• The legislation extends unemployment insurance by up to 14 additional weeks for jobless workers in every state, and a total of up to 20 weeks for workers in states with unemployment levels over 8.5 percent.

Help for Homebuyers, Including Military Families

• Extends the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit to first-time homebuyers with a binding contract before April 30, 2010, allowing 60 days to close. (Currently, it will expire November 30, 2009.)
• As soon as the President signs this bill into law, it will expand the homebuyer tax credit to more families — phasing out for individuals with income above $125,000 and for joint filers with income about $225,000 (the current law credit phases out for individuals with income starting at $75,000 and for joint filers with income starting at $150,000) and make a $6,500 credit available to homebuyers who have been in their current residence for five or more consecutive years out of the last eight years.
• The credit is available for the purchase of principal residences with a purchase price of up to $800,000.
• To help service members take full advantage of homebuyer incentives in the Recovery Act, the bill: ensures that certain payments under the Defense Housing Assistance Program (HAP) to assist military personnel selling a home that has declined in value are exempt from tax; ensures service members will not have to repay the first-time home buyer credit if they are ordered to deploy to a different location and, as a result, forced to sell their home within three years; and extends for one year, to April 31, 2011, the deadline for taking advantage of the first-time homebuyer credit for qualifying service members, so that certain service members stationed overseas can take advantage of the credit when they return.
• To combat abuse, the bill improves administration of the homebuyers’ tax credit by: requiring taxpayers to include documentation to prove that they purchased a home; requiring a minimum age of 18 to claim the credit; authorizing IRS to look at prior year returns and determine if a taxpayer is eligible for the credit; improving tax administration by increasing the number of electronic returns filed by return preparers.

Tax Relief for Struggling Businesses/ 5-Year NOL Carryback

•  allows businesses to use net operating losses (NOLs) from 2008 or 2009 to offset profits from five previous years, up from two years. In many cases, that would result in refunds to struggling businesses. Businesses would only be able to offset 50 percent of their income from the fifth year.
• Small businesses who have already elected to carry back 2008 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act may also elect to carry back losses from 2009.

Fully Paid for:

• Delay tax break for foreign interest payments (worldwide allocation of interest). The bill delays for seven years (through 2017) a questionable tax break enacted in 2004 that would let U.S. multinational companies that have shipped jobs overseas reduce their U.S. taxes by deducting more of their worldwide interest income against their U.S. income. This provision has not gone into effect, and not one company currently utilizes this provision.
• Increases the penalty for failure to file a partnership or S corporation return.

Major endorsements for health care bill

The American Medical Association, AARP, and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today endorsed the health insurance reform bill, as it heads for a final vote in Congress. Here are some details from the organizations:

THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA ACT

The American Medical Association is the largest medical association of doctors in the nation.  Here is the full text of the AMA’s endorsement letter announcing support for health insurance reform legislation:

November 5, 2009

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
H-232 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

On behalf of the American Medical Association, I want to express our support for concurrent passage of both H.R. 3961, the “Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009,” and H.R. 3962, the “Affordable Health Care for America Act.” A successful foundation for health system reform is dependent on House passage of both bills. Together, H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3961 will deliver on our shared commitment to assure that patients have access to care and choice of physicians.

H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3961 substantially address several of the following essential elements the AMA has identified for health system reform:                   

• Expanding coverage: H.R. 3962 will raise the percentage of legal, non-elderly residents with insurance coverage from 83 percent to 96 percent.
• Insurance market reforms: The legislation eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions and lifetime limits on total spending, does not allow insurers to vary premiums based on health status, and expands choice and access to coverage for those who are self-insured or employed by small businesses.
• Patient-physician decision making: Expanded coverage and choice will empower patient and physician decision making. H.R. 3962 is consistent with our principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of physician practice, and universal access.
• Investments in quality, prevention, and wellness: The legislation provides additional resources to achieve these goals and, importantly, treats quality improvement as an investment in our nation’s health care system.
• Repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR): Preserving access to care and choice of physician for Medicare patients and military families is a critical component of comprehensive health system reform. An overwhelming majority in Congress agree that the existing Medicare physician payment formula is flawed, that the steep pay cuts it produces should not be implemented, and that the formula should be repealed. Previous temporary actions by Congress have raised the cost of a permanent solution and increased the size of future cuts. The CBO scoring of H.R. 3961 must be put in proper perspective. This bill establishes a realistic budget baseline that reflects actual congressional actions and policies, rather than pretending Congress will allow future cuts to occur that are far more severe than those it rejected for the last seven years. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives adopted statutory pay-as-you-go legislation that provided an exception for Medicare physician payment reform legislation, acknowledging the importance of this policy change and the legacy aspect involved.
• Reduce administrative burdens: The legislation incorporates many recommendations that will streamline claims processing across payers and reduce overhead costs.
• In  addition, H.R. 3962 authorizes incentive payments to states that adopt certificate of merit and/or early offer medical liability reforms. Testing alternative reforms holds promise for gaining additional insight on reducing the cost of defensive medicine and abusive litigation practices, although we continue to believe that comprehensive reforms such as those enacted in California and Texas will do more to lower health care costs.

Concurrent passage of H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3961 represent a critical step in the legislative process that will enable further refinement of policies to lay a solid foundation for achieving our shared goal of assuring high-quality, affordable health care coverage for all Americans. We will continue to work with the House, Senate and the Administration to improve the final legislative product we hope will emerge from a joint House-Senate conference committee.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Maves, MD, MBA

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Here’s the AARP news release announcing the organization’s endorsement:

AARP Endorses Affordable Health Care for America Act
 
“As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans”

WASHINGTON—Today AARP announced its endorsement of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the accompanying Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (H.R. 3961). The Association’s support follows nearly two years of work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to craft a health care reform plan that meets the needs of AARP’s nearly 40 million members and all older Americans. Among those needs are reforms that strictly curb insurance companies’ discrimination against older Americans and Medicare improvements that strengthen benefits while protecting the program for future generations.

“We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors,” said AARP CEO Barry Rand. “We’ve read the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we can say with confidence that it meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage.”

Today’s endorsement marks the first time in this legislative battle that AARP has put its full weight behind a comprehensive health care reform package. In the coming days, AARP will be educating its members about the health care reform package through its publications, paid advertising and more than five million calls and e-mails to its grassroots activists.

“As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans,” Rand said.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act contain critical components AARP has been fighting for on behalf of its members and all older Americans to improve health care for them and their families. They include: 

–Protecting and strengthening Medicare for today’s seniors and future generations of retirees;

–Ensuring seniors can see the doctor of their choice or find a doctor if they need one by improving Medicare’s payments to doctors;

–Lowering drug costs for seniors by closing the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” and allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug makers for lower drug prices;

–Taking steps to reduce waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency in the Medicare program;

–Requiring Medicare and insurance companies to provide for important preventive services like screenings for diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis free of charge;

–Stopping insurance companies from denying you affordable coverage because of your age;

– Preventing insurance companies from denying you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition or dropping your coverage if you get sick;

–Limiting how much your insurance company can make you pay out-of-pocket;

–Providing affordable health insurance options for those who don’t have insurance; and

–Providing benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

Rand added: “We cannot continue to let insurers price older Americans out of the market, just as we cannot stand idle while millions of seniors are forced to choose between their groceries and their prescriptions. AARP is proud to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, and we urge members of the House to pass this critical package in the coming days to help fix our broken health care system.”

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates.  We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world’s largest-circulation magazine with over 35.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP’s nearly 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) endorses health bill

Full news release below:

House Health Care Reform Legislation Would Dramatically Improve the Health Care System for People With Cancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 5, 2009 – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today announced its support of proposed health care legislation that will be debated this week in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a letter to House leaders, ACS CAN, the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, said the proposed legislation has the potential to take the fight against cancer in this country to a new level.

“This legislation represents an exceptional opportunity to advance our mission of reducing suffering and death related to cancer,” said John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of ACS CAN. “We have the potential to transform our nation’s health care system in a fundamental way that begins the process of making adequate and affordable health care accessible to all Americans.”

The House bill takes a number of steps to improve health care for cancer patients and their families by refocusing the system to emphasize prevention, ending the practice of denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions, limiting the cost burden on families by providing care that covers more and costs less and emphasizing patients’ quality of life.

“If enacted, this bill could have immediate and lasting benefits for millions of people with cancer and other life-threatening chronic diseases,” said Daniel E. Smith, president of ACS CAN. “Getting a cancer diagnosis would no longer put families at risk of being denied or getting priced out of lifesaving coverage.”

The American Cancer Society and ACS CAN believe more than 60 percent of all cancer deaths could be avoided through more effective use of existing scientific knowledge. The House bill proposes a significant investment in cancer prevention and early detection by requiring coverage for cancer screenings including mammography, colonoscopy and Pap tests, as well as for tobacco cessation programs in both public and private plans at little or no cost to patients. The bill also calls for an investment of $34 billion over five years in a new Public Health Investment Fund for community health centers, primary care training and prevention and wellness research.

The bill makes significant progress in providing adequate, affordable coverage to the uninsured and the underinsured by expanding access to Medicaid for those earning up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, providing subsidies for the purchase of insurance to people earning up to 400 percent of poverty, reducing or eliminating cost sharing for cancer screenings and implementing insurance market reforms that eliminate annual and lifetime benefit caps and limit patient out-of-pocket expenses.

ACS CAN has not weighed in on the financing of any health care reform proposal except to support an increase in the federal tobacco tax as a way to help pay for reform and save lives. Therefore, ACS CAN takes no position on the revenue provisions of the House bill.

“As the leading voice of patients in the debate, we continue to call on Congress to put aside politics and pass health care reform that will save lives this year,” said Robert E. Youle, a cancer survivor and volunteer chair of ACS CAN’s Board of Directors. “The status quo is too costly for cancer patients, who often are forced not only to fight for their lives, but also for their life savings.” 

A recent survey by National Public Radio, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health found that the American Cancer Society is the most trusted among all the interest groups involved in the health care reform debate. Seventy-four percent of those surveyed said they trust the Society to recommend the right thing for the country when it comes to health care reform.

ACS CAN volunteers across the country have been holding rallies and other events to let their Members of Congress know how important health care reform is to cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones. ACS CAN volunteers have also made more than 70,000 calls to lawmakers since June, and nearly 2,000 calls a day are expected into congressional offices in coming weeks in support of meaningful health care reform.

Cancer is many different chronic and acute diseases affecting people of all ages. As such, cancer patients and survivors interact extensively with every aspect of our nation’s health care system – from prevention, diagnosis and treatment through survivorship and end of life. Armed with this knowledge and understanding, over the past two years the Society and ACS CAN have chosen to view health care through the “cancer lens” and worked to illustrate the overwhelming need for reform.

For more information about ACS CAN’s efforts in support of health care reform, visit http://www.acscan.org.

ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.