Tag: Congress

Health policy

More Than Medicare-for-All: Proposals to Achieve Universal Health Coverage

by Molly BenoitLeave a Comment on More Than Medicare-for-All: Proposals to Achieve Universal Health Coverage
More Than Medicare-for-All: Proposals to Achieve Universal Health Coverage

Since the passage of the ACA, more than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance. But the fight for affordable and accessible universal coverage continues.

Here are just some of the proposals that have been introduced in Congress:

  • The Medicare for All Act of 2019 (H.R. 1384/S.1129) would establish a national health insurance program administered by HHS.
  • The State Public Option Act (H.R. 1277/S.489) would allow states to offer residents of all incomes the option to buy into Medicaid. This option would compete with private plans on the ACA Marketplace.
  • The Medicare Buy-In & Health Care Stabilization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1346) would allow individuals aged 50 to 64 to buy into Medicare and provide some marketplace stabilization.
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Health policy

Back to Basics: Congress

by Molly BenoitLeave a Comment on Back to Basics: Congress
Back to Basics: Congress

✌🏼out to my third semester of medical school & the 2019 Congressional session.

Not to worry, both will be back in full force in January!

Before I head for my vacation in the Conch Republic, I want to drop a basic civics lesson.

The basic of all basics – Congress refers to our bicameral (two chamber) legislature, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is one of three branches of government. It writes the laws and controls the money.

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Health policy

All the Health Priorities in the $1.4 Trillion Spending Deal

by Molly BenoitLeave a Comment on All the Health Priorities in the $1.4 Trillion Spending Deal
All the Health Priorities in the $1.4 Trillion Spending Deal

The end of the year bipartisan spending deal will allocate $1.4 trillion in federal funding for the remainder of the fiscal year (through Sept. 30) and avoid a shutdown. The House has already passed the deal and the Senate is poised to do the same by tomorrow.

So what health priorities made the cut for this deal?

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Health policy

The Power of the Purse

by Molly BenoitLeave a Comment on The Power of the Purse
The Power of the Purse

Congress will send a $1.4 trillion spending deal to the President this week. It will fund the government and avert an end-of-the-year shutdown. The House has already passed the deal and the Senate will take it up by the end of the week. The government is currently operating under a continuing resolution that expires Dec. 20.

Read about the health-related specifics of what’s included in the deal here. But first let’s start with some key concepts related to Congress’ power of the purse.

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Health policy

Congressional Committees with Health Care Jurisdiction

by Molly BenoitLeave a Comment on Congressional Committees with Health Care Jurisdiction
Congressional Committees with Health Care Jurisdiction

Health care is such a massive topic that it takes more than one Congressional committee to handle all the health-related legislation. It’s important to know which committee a bill will be referred to for any advocacy work! Speaking with committee members should be a priority.

Once a bill is introduced in the House or the Senate, it is referred to the committee with jurisdiction over the topic or program addressed in the bill. Committees then refer it to the appropriate subcommittee and conduct an evaluation of the proposed legislation. Let’s take a look at what is under the jurisdiction of the major health care committees on both sides of Capitol Hill.

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Medical school

The Day I Met Captain America

by Molly Benoit4 Comments on The Day I Met Captain America
The Day I Met Captain America

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I was in D.C. this weekend and had a bit of a lucky day on Friday on Capitol Hill. I’ll be back soon to share more about the conference I attended and some of my D.C. faves, but today it’s all about super(s)heros — real and fictional.

I was in D.C. for the American Medical Association Medical Student Advocacy Conference (MARC). I made new friends from medical schools around the country, learned about important issues facing patients and healthcare providers, and met with Members of Congress and their staff to discuss pharmaceutical drug pricing, graduate medical education, and gun violence prevention.

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Medical school

On a Scale of Pass to Fail, Many Medical Schools Fail Students on Health Policy

by Molly Benoit1 Comment on On a Scale of Pass to Fail, Many Medical Schools Fail Students on Health Policy
On a Scale of Pass to Fail, Many Medical Schools Fail Students on Health Policy

We are in a time when physicians are increasingly speaking the language of health policy and public health — “value-based care,” “co-payment,” “social determinants of health,” “accountable care organization” — and are increasingly asked by patients to ensure that a particular treatment or procedure is covered by their insurance before moving forward. This dizzying list of health policy terms (and the responsibility of a physician to understand the lingo) just keeps growing. And there is no better time to introduce students to this world than in medical school, when they are primed for learning and not yet overwhelmed with patient care.

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Health policy

Thank U, Next: The 116th Congress Gets to Work

by Molly BenoitLeave a Comment on Thank U, Next: The 116th Congress Gets to Work
Thank U, Next: The 116th Congress Gets to Work

The 116th Congress was sworn in at noon on Wednesday, January 3, 2019. The Senate remains under Republican control but the House of Representatives is now firmly in the grasp of the Democratic Party. How the business of legislating flows between the two houses remains to be seen, but it is fair to assume that health policy will be a focus for the new Congress. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll taken before the 2018 midterm election reported that seven in ten voters (71%) indicated healthcare as “very important” in making their voting decision. In comparison, 64% said the same about the economy and jobs, 55% about immigration, and 53% about tax cuts and tax reform.

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Health policy

Health Policy Hangs in the Judicial Balance

by Molly BenoitLeave a Comment on Health Policy Hangs in the Judicial Balance
Health Policy Hangs in the Judicial Balance

In case we haven’t met, hi–I’m Molly and I’m a huge fan of School House Rock. Thanks those VHS’, I grew loving the checks and balances built into our government–the legislative branch creates the laws, the executive branch enforces the law, and the judicial branch interprets laws as constitutional or unconstitutional. Today we’re going to focus on the Supreme Court, the ultimate arbiter of the judicial branch. It is comprised of nine Justices with a lifetime appointment who hear and rule on cases that question federal constitutional issues or conflicts between states.

If you’ve been on social media, any news site, or turned on the T.V., you know that Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been nominated to fill the current Supreme Court vacancy. But we’re not going to delve into the allegations of sexual assault against him or the Judiciary Committee majority’s complete disregard for process, order, or even common decency today. No, we’re going to talk about the impact that one person, Judge Kavanaugh, can have on the entire U.S. health care system.Health care has certainly been on the agenda at #SCOTUS in nearly every recent decade as the federal government as gotten more involved in that policy area since creating the Medicare and Medicaid programs in 1965. But even dating back to Jacobson v. Massachusetts in 1905, when the Supreme Court upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination to protect the public health, SCOTUS has been involved in health issues.

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Health policy

The Affordable Care Act Essentials

by Molly Benoit2 Comments on The Affordable Care Act Essentials
The Affordable Care Act Essentials

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. The ACA represents the most significant expansion of health coverage and regulatory overhaul since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. At nearly 2,000 pages, the ACA touches nearly every corner of the U.S. health care system to reduce the rate of uninsured individuals and improve access to affordable, quality health care.

Oh, one more thing before highlight the most impactful provisions of the bill. The ACA is the same thing as Obamacare. They are not two separate legislative efforts that overhauled health care. We promise. Tell your parents, friends, and patients. [Watch this Jimmy Kimmel clip if you need to be reminded that people still don’t know the ACA and Obamacare are synonymous]. Ok, let’s get into it.

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