The Senate voted to begin debate on its health care reform bill and debate begins this week! ANA wants to make sure you have the latest information on what is happening in Washington, DC! Where is the health care reform debate going? What has happened the last few weeks? All of your questions concerning health care reform are answered here!
Both the House bill, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), and the Senate bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), clearly represent a movement toward much-needed, comprehensive and meaningful reform for our nation’s healthcare system. ANA has highlighted the nursing provisions within H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3590 and categorized them by Nursing Workforce Funding, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, and Quality.
ANA’s Government Affairs Twitter feed has become the Twitter feed for nurses and those interested in nursing issues who want to follow the health care reform debate. With “tweets” at 140 characters or less, ANA’s GOVA Twitter is a great way to get quick bites of what is happening on Capitol Hill. ANA’s Government Affairs has been using its Twitter feed to update followers on the latest with health care reform – alerting them to upcoming hearings, newly released versions of the bill, and the latest reports on health care reform strategy.
ANA launched the first American Nurses Advocacy Institute (ANAI) October 25th through 27th in Washington, DC. The intent of the Institute is to create increased visibility from a well – prepared and connected cadre of registered nurses equipped to influence health policy at the local, state, and national levels. Institute Fellows will be viewed as a political action/advocacy leader for the ANA Constituent Member Association (CMA – state nurses association).
On November 7-10, 2009, ANA GOVA staff represented the ANA at the 2009 Interim House of Delegates Meeting of the American Medical Association in Houston, Texas. These meetings provide a window into how the AMA develops and influences health care policy, including areas of mutual interest and potential concern, and issues directly affecting the practice of nursing. Health care reform and the AMA’s position on H.R. 3962 were the number one topic of debate. The 2010 annual meeting is scheduled for June 12-16 in Chicago.
The Division of Nursing at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released on November 11, information on the fiscal year 2010 funding opportunity for the Nurse Education, Practice and Retention (NEPR) Program.
