Washington Highlights: November
21, 2008
Contents
Prior Issues
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Senate Stimulus Includes Additional $1 Billion
for NIH
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Appropriations
Committee Chair Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) Nov. 17 introduced an economic
recovery package (S.
3689) that included additional funds for biomedical research
and would temporarily increase the state federal medical assistance
percentage (FMAP). The Senate did not vote on the measure.
The bill included $1 billion in additional funding to support scientific
research at the National Institutes of Health, to be allocated among
the Institutes, Centers, and the Common Fund in the same proportions
that funding was distributed in FY 2008.
In a Nov. 20 statement,
AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., thanked the Senate,
and especially Senators Reid and Byrd for recognizing that, "This
increased NIH funding is not only an investment in our economy,
it will support groundbreaking research that will improve the lives
of all Americans through new medical advances. These research breakthroughs
contribute to the financial strength of our nation by creating skilled
jobs, new products, and better technologies."
The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research sent a Nov. 19 letter
urging Senators to support the NIH funding included in the package.
The letter notes that "We must invest now in the NIH to maximize
the benefits of scientific opportunity for our nation's fiscal as
well as physical health."
In addition to the NIH funding, under the recovery package, states
would receive a temporary 8 percent increase in their FMAP. The
increase, which affects the federal "Medicaid match" for
each state, would apply to FY 2009 and the first quarter of FY 2010,
at an estimated cost of $37.8 billion. In Oct. 29 letters
to House and Senate leadership, the AAMC urged passage of a temporary
FMAP increase.
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Clinton Introduces Workforce Measure
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) Nov. 19 introduced the
"Health Professions and Primary Care Reinvestment Act"
(S. 3708). The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to modify
the health professions education and training programs. Among other
changes, the bill authorizes funding for eligible entities to conduct
"Community Health Needs Assessments," to establish "Primary
Care Training Institutes" within primary care academic administrative
units, and to support partnerships between schools of public health
and State and local public health departments. The measure also
establishes a new Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Information,
Evaluation, and Assessment. The AAMC is reviewing the bill.
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Daschle to be Nominated HHS Secretary
.Numerous press outlets reported Nov. 19 that President-elect Barack
Obama plans to nominate former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle
(S.D.) to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
and the incoming administration's health policy efforts. Senator
Daschle served 8 years in the House and 18 years in the Senate,
10 of which he served as Leader. After his reelection defeat in
2004 to Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Senator Daschle has served
as an advisor to the law firm of Alston and Bird, and sits on numerous
boards, including that of the Mayo Clinic.
On the Hill
House Democrats Nov. 20 elected Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) Chair
of the Energy and Commerce Committee, ousting Rep. John Dingell
(D-Mich.) who has served as the committee's top Democrat for nearly
28 years.
Election officials announced Nov. 18 that Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
has lost his bid for an eighth term in the Senate to Anchorage Mayor
Mark Begich (D). Senator-elect Begich's victory boosts the Democrats'
majority in the 111th Congress to 58-40 (including two Independents
who vote with the Democrats), with two Senate races outstanding.
A hand recount of ballots commenced Nov. 19 in Minnesota, after
the initial count found Senator Norm Coleman (R) leading challenger
Al Franken (D) by a 215 vote (0.008 percent) margin. A Dec. 2 runoff
election will determine the victor in Georgia, after both Senator
Saxby Chambliss (R) and challenger Jim Martin (D) failed to gain
a majority of votes; Martin, with 46.8 percent of the vote, trailed
Sen. Chambliss, who had 49.8 percent on election day, with Libertarian
Allen Buckley garnering 3.4 percent.
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