Governmental Affairs

   

Nurses Night in Annapolis Feb. 2010

Pen Jarina, MD ENA President, attended this event where nurses have the opportunity to meet with legislators to discuss healthcare issues. Maryland Nurses Association was also present and the sponsor, actively lobbying for two bills.

 

House Bill 319 - It eliminates the cumbersome collaborative practice agreement requirement which allows nurse practitioners to provide care to patients without unnecessary delays.

Currently the Maryland NP is required to have an extensive written collaborative practice agreement, which is a 19 page document between NP and MD with whom the NP works, that must be reviewed by two regulatory boards for every position offered to an NP. This process can take months to await approval.

If the Bill passes, this cumbersome and time consuming written agreement currently required, will result in shortened approval times until the NP can begin practice and patient care. The NP will still need to meet the high standards for certification and continue to be regulated by the Maryland Board of Nursing.

 

House Bill 33/Senate Bill 213-  

Ban BPA from

     1. products that facilitate eating or sleeping for children under 4

     2. toys used by children under 13.

BPA is bisphenol A, chemical that is added in the production of baby bottles, sippy cups and toys. Over 90% of the more than 100 independently funded studies on low dose exposure to BPA have resulted in adverse health effects such as impaired learning, diabetes,  heart disease, early onset puberty, etc. Many retailers have discontinued the use of BPA, but not all families have the means to seek out BPA-free products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mikulski Reports on Amendment That Guarantees Women Access to Affordable Preventive Care

January 2010

Last week, the Senate put women first in health care reform when it passed my amendment to guarantee women access to preventive care and screenings at no cost.   It was the first amendment considered and approved in the Senate's debate on health care reform.

We must end the punitive practices of the private insurance companies that treat simply being a woman as a preexisting condition.  That's why I support the Senate health reform bill and why I introduced my amendment.   In the United States of America, health care is a women's issue.  Health care reform is a must-do women's issue, and health insurance reform is a must–change women's issue.

Too often women face the punitive practices of insurance companies that charge women more and give them less in benefits.  A 25–year–old woman pays more for health insurance than her male counterpart of the same health status.  A 40–year–old woman pays almost 35 percent more for her insurance than a man of similar age and health status.

More than half of American women report that they skip or delay needed care due to cost.   My amendment guarantees that women of all ages will receive, at no cost, an annual women's health exam, which will include screenings for the leading causes of death for women — cancer, heart disease, and chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

Right now, insurance company bureaucrats decide what preventive services will be covered for women.  But we know that early detection saves lives, curtails the expansion of disease, and, in the long run, saves money.  That's why my amendment expands key preventive services for women based on recommendations of women's health experts - scientists and doctors -  and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

And under my amendment, decisions about preventive care and screenings - like mammograms - will be made between a woman and her doctor in a medical office. It will not be made by an insurance company, a member of Congress or by a stranger.

Without this amendment, there would be no guarantee that women under 50 would be covered for mammograms, no guarantee of an annual women's health exam that would include screenings for heart disease, and no guarantee that women would have access to this preventive care at no cost. Insurance companies have used every trick in the book to deny coverage to women.  This amendment makes sure that the insurance companies must cover the basic care that women need at no cost.

It's a big step forward.  But with votes on the final legislation ahead, the fight's not over yet.   Women can count on me to keep fighting for them on the Senate floor and all the way to the White House to end punitive insurance company practices that discriminate against women in the insurance marketplace.

 

Fast Facts

* 17 million women are uninsured — that's approximately 1 in 5 women

* 3 in 5 women have problems paying their medical bills
* Women are more likely than men to neglect care or treatment because of cost
* 14% of women report they delay or go without needed health care because they cannot afford it
* Women of childbearing age incur 68% more out of pocket health care costs than men
* Women can be denied coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions that include being a victim of domestic violence, infertility, pregnancy, having had a C-section, acne, or a eating disorder
* Most individual insurance policies exclude maternity care
* Only 20 states require private insurance companies to cover annual mammograms
* 40 states allow gender rating where insurance companies can charge women more than men for the same health coverage
* A 40 year old woman is charged anywhere from 2% — 140% more than a 40 year old man with the same health status, for the same insurance policy






Sign Up for E-Mail Alerts on Issues Related to Your State

 

New features have been added to ENA's Legislative Action Center that enable "E-Mail Alerts" to be sent directly to those ENA members who reside in the state or district of the congressional members that we need to target. These alerts provide strategic information to affect key policy issues of interest to ENA and emergency nursing. Go to http://capwiz.com/ena/home/ to sign up for future alerts.

 

 

 

 

Wanted - A Few Good Nurses
ENA Launches EN411 Program

 

ENA is establishing the Emergency Nurse 411 Program (EN411) to encourage our members to cultivate long-term relationships with federal legislators, convey ENA’s legislative and regulatory priorities, and affect the final outcome of federal legislation important to emergency nursing. Our goal is to have at least one ENA member in each of the 435 congressional districts across the country, as well as assigned to each of the 100 Senators, to help promote ENA's legislative agenda.

For information regarding the Program and for a copy of the application, go to http://www.ena.org/government/Nurse_411/default.asp.

Prior political advocacy experience is not necessary to join the EN411 Program!