The Week in Health Reform—Federal Legislative OverviewThe White HouseOn March 3, President Obama continued his push for Members of Congress to complete health insurance reform legislation within the upcoming weeks.  He delivered a statement to a group of medical professionals in the East Room of the White House, in which he said that he has asked Senate and House leaders to finish work on health reform and schedule final votes in the next few weeks.  The President went on to say that the issues have been debated thoroughly and that now is the time to make a decision.  Although he did not specifically mention the budget reconciliation process, the President said that the American people deserve an “up or down” vote on health reform in the same way that welfare reform and tax cuts were approved by Congress in the past under reconciliation rules. The President said that health insurance reform would change three things: * End the “worst practices” of health insurance companies * Give individuals and small businesses the same kind of choices members of Congress have * Bring down health care costs for families, businesses and the government The President made numerous references to the health insurance industry and stated that there is a fundamental disagreement between Republicans and Democrats about whether there should be more or less regulation of health insurance companies.  The President concluded by emphasizing that he will do everything in his power to make the case for health reform in the coming weeks, and he also urged the American people to make their voices heard. In addition, the President said he is open to exploring policy priorities identified by Republicans at the bipartisan summit such as: * Conducting undercover investigations of health care providers that receive reimbursement from federal programs. * Appropriating funds for state-based demonstration programs to test alternative approaches, including health courts, to resolving medical malpractice suits. * Linking Medicaid eligibility expansions to higher Medicaid reimbursement for physicians. * Clarifying that Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) may be offered through the proposed health insurance exchanges. On March 4, Health Care Service Corporation President and CEO Pat Hemingway Hall attended a meeting at the White House, along with CEOs from other leading health insurance companies and officials from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  The group met with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and President Obama to discuss premium issues in the individual market.House and SenateCongressional leaders are now focused intensely on developing legislative language that could be supported by a majority of members in both chambers.  The President’s comments last week send a strong signal that such legislation, once finalized, would move through Congress under budget reconciliation procedures. Under reconciliation rules, the House first would have to pass the Senate version of the health care reform bill, H.R. 3590, which passed on Christmas Eve last year.  After that, the House would then be required to pass a separate “corrections” bill incorporating specific changes to that bill that will likely be negotiated among White House officials and House and Senate leaders.  After the House passes the “corrections” bill, under budget reconciliation procedures, the Senate would need at least 50 senators to vote for the “corrections” bill.  Under reconciliation rules, only a simple-majority vote of 51 votes are needed for passage (Vice President Joe Biden would be the 51st vote if only 50 senators vote for the bill) and filibusters are banned. In order to meet the goal of sending a final health reform bill to the President’s desk before the Easter recess (which is scheduled to begin on March 29), congressional leaders would need to send legislative language to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for cost analysis in the very near future. On March 4, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Obama hopes the House of Representatives will pass the health reform bill by March 18, so the rest of the process can move swiftly.Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is now tasked with trying to corral votes in the House, while trying to assure those who are wary that the Senate will be willing to support the same measures. Some House members are worried about being left “holding the bag,” if the Senate decides it will not support some of the same legislative language.In order to ensure the Democrats have enough votes, President Obama invited two groups of the Democratic Caucus to the White House on March 4 to continue to push for health reform passage.  Members from the Congressional Progressive Caucus were:Caucus Chairs Raúl Grijalva (AZ) and Lynn Woolsey (CA), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairman Mike Honda (CA), Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee (CA), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (NY), Reps. Dennis Kucinich (OH), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA) and Jan Schakowsky (IL), as well as delegates Madeleine Bordallo (Guam) and Donna Christensen (Virgin Islands).Afterward, Obama met with key members of the New Democrat Coalition.   The New Democrats, like the Blue Dogs, are a group of fiscally conservative Democrats.  Attendees of this meeting included:  Reps. Jason Altmire (PA), Melissa Bean (IL), Lois Capps (CA), Joe Crowley (NY), Ron Kind (WI), Allyson Schwartz (PA) and Adam Smith (WA).Overview: Extension of Physician Payment “Fix” and COBRA ProvisionsOn March 2, the Senate passed H.R. 4691, the “Temporary Extensions Act of 2010″ and President Obama signed it into law.  This legislation includes a one-month extension of the Medicare physician payment “fix,” premium assistance for unemployed workers with COBRA and state continuation coverage, unemployment insurance and several other legislative provisions that expired on February 28.  Before voting on passage of the bill, the Senate first voted on an amendment by Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) that would have offset the $10 billion cost of the “extenders” package.  This amendment was defeated and therefore no further legislative action was needed.  The bill was later signed by the President.Overview:  The “Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act” – H.R. 4626In a letter dated March 3, 22 Democratic Senators wrote to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) urging him to bring H.R. 4626, the “Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, to the Senate floor at its earliest opportunity.  In the letter they state that “[this legislation] is an important step toward bringing competition to the health insurance market, and would ensure that anticompetitive abuses such as price fixing and monopolization are policed in the health insurance industry.”  America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) CEO Karen Ignagni maintains the position on the legislation saying, “The rhetoric surrounding repeal [anti-trust exemptions] does not match the reality of the situation.  Health insurance is one of the most regulated industries in America at both the federal and the state levels. The Act is extremely limited in scope and has nothing to do with competition within the health insurance industry.  In fact, a wide range of insurer activities, including mergers and many types of business practices, are and always have been subject to federal antitrust laws and to enforcement by the Department of Justice.” Author Reference http://www.easytoinsureme.com

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The medical industry and drug companies have their place. But this is in disease care and crisis care, not health care. Their method is: • Disease pathology, identifying a disease and giving it a name. Once the condition has been named, the appropriate method of removing this condition is followed with most often no thought given to the underlying cause. • Singular approach. Fight disease by killing germs and bacteria using strong chemicals (drugs), surgery and other methods designed specifically to remove diseased tissue and pathogens. This is done with no real concept of health. They do not work with the body’s internal self-regulating and healing instincts.• A pronounced ‘disassociation’ with long term effects within the living organism and outer environmental concerns. I do not plan to put down the roles of medical doctors and nurses. We certainly do need their services in our communities, however, our methods and philosophies are different. This is often seen in the different attitude and approach we have to caring for children and particularly babies. Up until only recently, quite often the advice given at medical child clinics was the opposite of the advice you will receive from a good natural health professional. Now, thankfully, the new breed of doctor and nurse is emerging. These are independent thinking individuals that have not restricted their level of thought and research to their university subjects alone but have studied broadly to also include the natural health approach. Many more medical doctors are seeking to learn about the natural health method. I work with such professionals and there is harmony, cooperation and success between us. No one has a closed mind. All are seeking the best for the child.  An intelligent and unbiased inquiry combined with rational scientific explanation is what is needed if we are ever to replace the former, ‘stooped in tradition’ and closed minded medical attitude of rejection through arrogance and ignorance. It is more than this. It is becoming more apparent that the medical profession’s attitude towards natural and complementary healthcare and those of the public who chose to use it is negative and completely un-¬accepting of its value. The following story reveals the seriousness of the situation. Earlier this year in Canberra, an inaugural summit was held sponsored by the Complementary Health Council in an effort to establish some form of collaboration between the medical profession and the complementary and natural health care industry and also provide the government with sound reasons to allow the development of our industry in this country. Representatives from the government parties and the Australian Medical Association were invited and did attend. One of the first speakers was a medical doctor who I have lectured with and have respect for. He related the following story that reveals clearly the attitude of the medical profession towards complementary and natural health care. The doctor referred to the struggle of the alternative and comp¬lementary health industry as a war with the medical industry. I agree but let me bring out; we of the natural health camp are only ‘defending ourselves and patients’ from attacks from the medical fraternity! The following story reveals our plight and that of many of our patients. The doctor had a family consisting of a mother, father and baby with eczema come into his office for consultation. To cut a very long story short these were people with healthy children who moved from the Blue Mountains to settle under the flight path of Sydney Airport. The first baby developed asthma and eczema. The mother was expecting at the time and when born, it was doing well but also finally developed asthma and eczema within a few months. The mother had a deep commitment to comp¬lementary health care, was committed to breastfeeding her baby and had a qualified herbalist and a qualified homeopath looking after her baby birth and saw them regularly for the care of the baby. She also saw a pediatrician but the baby still was not doing well to spite all these efforts the baby lost some weight so the pediatrician suggested they go to hospital and at the hospital the name of the pediatrician was laughed about by other doctors in the hospital as being a bit on the weird side. When the mother related the history of her past use of homeopathy and herbs, things got a good deal more serious and when she mentioned that the child at eight months had not been vaccinated, things got very serious indeed. The net effect of all that happened was that within two days the department of community services was bought in and a joint investigation team were bought in because it was clear evidence of an abusive and non¬caring mother that she would choose complimentary health care over orthodox medical advice. She had only received the medical advice two days before and it was, ‘catheterize the child and stop breastfeeding’. Her rejection of those two items led to the removal of the child from their care. The child is now under the care of the director general of the department of community services – ‘leased back to the family’ only on the basis they sign an agreement that the mother will not use any further complementary care and will accept all medical care without question in future. As long as she obeys that rule, as long as she does not see another health care practitioner apart from an orthodox medical practitioner, she can keep her baby. If she sees a complementary or alternative health practitioner, or indulges in any form of complimentary health care including homeopathy, the baby will be removed. The baby is being held to ransom. The mother found it absurd that the decision to keep breastfeeding was seen as ‘evidence of an abusive mother.’ Having met the family for two hours the day before relating this story, the doctor realized just how deeply this war divides. Had she gone to hospital and said nothing, she would have been back at home within days with a re-hydrated baby. The fact that she mentioned ‘what she believed’ meant that the medical profession went on full attack and incorporated the department of community services and the police to enforce an opinion that her views were unacceptable’. We of the natural and complementary health profession as well as those who choose to follow this more natural and less dangerous path of healthcare are constantly defending ourselves from the attacks of the medical profession. This manner of arrogance has been the flavour of the mainstream ‘stooped in tradition’ orthodox medical profession and industry all along and until a real leader with an open mind genuinely takes the lead, I expect nothing will change. The medical profession will continue to put down and suppress the role of qualified natural and complementary health care practitioners and those who choose to follow the same. ‘Fear is born in ignorance, arrogance is the barrier to communication, learning and progress.’ I share this observation, research and press releases revealing the situation in of public health (or lack of it) and where it is going. It is no longer a matter of ‘doing what everyone else is doing’. I am not attacking the medical profession, the innumerable headlines you will read in the future in the papers reveal the danger and error in the method of modern medicine. Parents must think for themselves and, to a large extent, take responsibility for the health of their children. I will reveal this information with numerous press releases and news headlines; the government and also the medical establishment are finding out that many of the chemical drugs and procedures they have previously recommended for years have been shown to be harmful and dangerous to say the least. These reports will help the reader to understand the current ‘disease care’ system is dangerous. Responsible parents need to know that the ‘sickness industry’ is just that, an industry designed to treat sick people. Their method pays no attention and has no idea of the concept of ‘health’ and the essential importance in building it. This is
where the philosophy I share offers you the reader, a world of difference and a welcomed ‘positive approach’ to keeping your children not only disease free, but vibrantly well!

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