Health Care Reform Passes!
Health Care Reform Implementation Update
Washington remains relatively quiet - although not for much longer! The Family Voices Policy Team has continued work on the regulatory front and wanted to share FV’s comment letter that was submitted on Friday, August 27, along with several partner organizations, on the Patient’s Bill of Rights regulation. In the next few weeks, the Policy Team will provide updates on the current F2F funding strategy, sharing more regulatory comment letters, and beginning to talk about election activities!
Useful Links on Health Care Legislation
Kaiser Family Foundation offers the opportunity to select various aspects of reform gives the ability to create a very useful chart with critical but understandable information (not just a bunch of policy speak!). You can narrowly tailor your requests and receive the corresponding information. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s health care reform page can be found at http://healthreform.kff.org/ or Families USA website. Of particular interest on that site is the State Advocates’ to-do list for the first 90 days of health care reform implementation at http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/health-reform/state-advocate-to-do-list.pdf.
Families USA has produced an excellent 90-day “to-do” list for state advocates, which can be found at http://www.familiesusa.org/health-reform-central/implementing-the-new-law/implementation-advocates-to.html. Their website also has a number of other useful documents, at http://www.familiesusa.org/health-reform-central/. Of special interest might be an explanation (at http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/health-reform/help-with-long-term-health-needs.pdf) of a new Medicaid state option, effective October, 1, 2010, which would permit states to cover community-based attendant services and supports to help Medicaid beneficiaries with daily activities and health-related tasks.
For a health care reform law implementation timeline, see the website of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Additional information about the law can be found on that website at http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1931:health-care-reform&catid=169:legislation&Itemid=55.
Other Useful Links
A comprehensive summary of the combined laws is available from Community Catalyst at: http://www.communitycatalyst.org/doc_store/publications/PPACA_Bill_&_Amendment_Summary_3.23.10.pdf.
Quick Wins: Who will be helped right away by the new health care reform law
(Community Catalyst)
http://www.communitycatalyst.org/doc_store/publications/Quick_Wins.pdf
Health Care Reform and Covering Sick Children (Center for Children and Families)
http://theccfblog.org/2010/03/health-care-reform-and-covering-sick-children.html
