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!
