With Congress mired indefinitely in political conflict over possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, federal departments and agencies – as well as the states – are proceeding to carry out ACA’s blueprint for health reform according to schedule, as required by law. New regulatory rules, appointments, and programs are announced every day. Many of these will significantly impact patient care and access to health benefits – and thus nursing care and policy.

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Wednesday, March 23rd marked the first birthday of Health Care Reform — the day the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law by President Obama. The one year anniversary of the signing of this historic legislation provided a great opportunity for the ANA, our members, and nurses across the country to let our elected leaders know just what these life-saving provisions mean to us and, most importantly, to our patients.

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There are very few Americans who haven’t had an interaction with a school nurse or the school nurse’s office, either for themselves or their children. The school nurse’s office has changed over the years… They still treat sore throats and colds, but today school nurses often work in association with a School Based Health Center (SBHC) to treat a broader range of health concerns.

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The 112th Congress convened in the New Year with a new Republican majority, a new Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner (R-OH), and a new agenda. The first item on the new agenda- repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that was passed in the 111th Congress. Repeal and replace was a mantra many of the new Republican House Members used during the 2010 campaign.

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ANA staff was in attendance at the recent annual meeting of the Council of State Governments (CSG) in Providence, Rhode Island. CSG provides an opportunity to interface with all three branches of state government: executive, legislative and judicial, as well as numerous stakeholders resulting in a rich dialogue about hot policy issues. Not surprisingly, several discussions were devoted to implementation of the new health care reform law. A lively debate on the constitutionality of the health insurance mandates as well as a host of other legal challenges still left policy makers with a commitment to move forward with full implementation in 2014 just around the corner.

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The American Medical Association (AMA) 2010 interim House of Delegates meeting was held November 6-9, 2010 in San Diego, with ANA Government Affairs staff the only official observers from the nursing community. The AORN (Association of periOperative Registered Nurses), CGFNS (Council of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) and NCSBN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing) could not attend. The 541 credentialed delegates, from state and specialty medical societies, considered over 125 resolutions and reports.

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