Legislative Advocacy
US Congress Legislative Updates:
- Medicare Payments Frozen for Another Year (2013) - The US Congress slapped another one-year patch on physicians' Medicare payments, averting the 26.5-percent cut in payments that was scheduled to take effect on Jan 1, 2013, by freezing the current rates for 2013. For more from TMA and from AMA with a summary... TMA and AMA, 1/2/13
- How the debt deal could squeeze Medicare pay even more - AMEDNEWS, 8/8/11
- FAQ: Debi Deal 'Super' Committee's Impact on Health Spending Explained - Kaiser Health News, 8/3/11
- Update for April 28, 2011 - Bills that would eliminate some restrictions on physician-owned hospitals
Texas Legislative Updates - (2011) 82nd Legislative Session:
- Playing defense-"For a single standard of care" (scope of practice issues)
- Update for April 28, 2011 - TX House-Senate Budget Comparison Chart
- Update for April 21, 2011 - Lege Bill Tracking Chart
- Update for April 19, 2011 - Lege Bill Tracking Chart
- Update for April 13, 2011 - Lege Bill Tracking Chart
- Update for March 28, 2011
- Update for March 14, 2011
- Update for March 7, 2011
Other:
House Panel Advances Medical Liability Overhaul Along Partisan Lines: A House panel backed an overhaul of medical liability rules Wednesday as part of the GOPs continuing effort to replace the 2010 health overhaul. More
Illinois Supreme Court strikes down medical malpractice caps: Crain's via Chicago Business, Feb. 4, 2010. The Illinois Supreme Court on has struck down a 4-year-old law that caps jury payouts in medical malpractice cases, infuriating doctors and hospitals that claim those caps were helping to tame once-soaring liability costs. The court ruled that the caps on pain and suffering and other non-economic damages - $500,000 per case for doctors and $1 million for hospitals - violated the Illinois Constitution's "separation of powers" clause, essentially finding that lawmakers interfered with the right of juries to determine fair damages. More
Political Prognosis: TMA Scores Scores Wins in Legislative Session. Detailed summary from TMA of the 2009 state legislative session. (June 2009)
Legislators Follow Doctor's Orders in 2009 Session. Summary from TMA in pdf format. (June 2009)
A very successful Legislative Session for our patients and organized medicine. Summary of the 2009 state legislative session. HCMS Newsletter, President's Page, June 2009 issue