Washington Highlights: September
23, 2005
Contents
Prior Issues
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House Temporarily Extends Higher Education Act
The House Sept. 20 approved a three-month extension of the Higher
Education Act (HEA). House Education and the Workforce Chair John
A. Boehner (R-Ohio) Sept. 15 introduced the "Higher Education
Extension Act of 2005" (H.R.
3784). The bill extends the primary student financial assistance
legislation to Dec. 31, 2005. Congress was expected to reauthorize
the HEA this fall; however, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and
nomination hearings for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
a temporary extension is necessary to avoid the bill's Oct. 1 expiration.
In addition to the student financial aid programs, the HEA authorizes
and oversees institutional aid, teacher quality enhancement, institutional
accreditation, graduate and postsecondary improvement programs,
and additional programs under the jurisdiction of the Department
of Education.
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
Grassley, Baucus Introduce Katrina Relief Package
for Evacuees and Providers
Senate Finance Committee Chair Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking
Minority Member Max Baucus (D-Mont.) Sept. 15 introduced "The
Emergency Health Care Relief Act of 2005" (S.
1716). The bill is designed to ensure temporary health care
coverage for vulnerable Katrina victims.
Specifically, the legislation streamlines Medicaid's current program
requirements to allow states to temporarily enroll eligible Katrina
victims into Medicaid; helps employers in affected states maintain
their commitment to providing private health care insurance to employees;
and waives late enrollment requirements for Medicare Part B beneficiaries.
Through expanded federal assistance to states, flexibility with
Medicare bad debt requirements and the creation of a disaster relief
fund for providers experiencing a decrease or increase in patient
volume, the bill also helps providers to cover their costs associated
with day to day operations and providing care to Katrina evacuees.
In a Sept. 20 letter, AAMC President Jordan
Cohen, M.D. applauded Senators Grassley and Baucus for their leadership
in proposing the legislation. The letter states, "The nation's
medical schools and teaching hospitals extend to the communities
of the Gulf Coast region their deepest sympathies for hardships
caused by Hurricane Katrina. Partnering with their fellow medical
schools and teaching hospitals in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,
and local, state and federal governments, teaching hospitals and
medical schools are responding by temporarily
relocating medical students and residents; helping dislocated medical
researchers salvage important research, and sending to the affected
region medical supplies and teams to provide much needed patient
care."
Information:
Lynne Davis Boyle, Assistant Vice President
AAMC Government Relations
ldavisboyle@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
Conservative House Republicans Propose Offsets
for Katrina Spending
On Sept. 21, the House Republican Study Committee (RSC), a group
of more than 100 House conservatives, released "Operation Offset,"
a series of proposals
that would reduce federal mandatory and discretionary spending by
$1 trillion over 10 years to help offset the costs associated with
rebuilding the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast.
RSC Chair Rep. Mike Pense (R-Ind.) stated, "As we begin to
rebuild, let us also do what every other American family would do
in like circumstances and expects this Congress to do: Let's figure
out how we are going to pay for it. Congress must insure that a
catastrophe of nature does not become a catastrophe of debt for
our children and grandchildren."
"Operation Offsets" proposes spending cuts for a variety
of programs of interest to medical schools and teaching hospitals,
including Medicare, Medicaid, public health and education.
Medicare:
- Delay the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug bill for
one year;
- Restructure Medicare's Cost-Sharing Requirements;
- Increase Medicare beneficiary premiums from 25 to 30 percent
of the cost of Part B benefits, beginning in 2006; and
- Impose a Home Health Co-payment of 10 percent.
Medicaid/SCHIP:
- Block Grant Medicaid and Index for Population and Inflation;
- Increase allowable co-pays for Medicaid;
- Reduce Medicaid Administrative Spending;
- End the Redistribution of Unused Federal Funds from SCHIP; and
- Eliminate Childless Adult Coverage in SCHIP
In the area of public health, the report includes proposals to
provide level funding for community health centers, reduce funding
for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and restrict
first-responder grants to large, at risk communities. The RSC also
proposes eliminating subsidized loans for graduate students.
House and Senate GOP leadership reaction to "Operation Offsets"
has been mixed, particularly in light of uncertainties over the
total cost of relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and whether additional
efforts will be needed in the wake of Hurricane Rita.
Information:
Lynne Davis Boyle, Assistant Vice President
AAMC Government Relations
ldavisboyle@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
NCRR Starts Countdown On Clinical Research Initiatives
The advisory council of the National Institutes of Health's National
Center for Research Resources (NCRR) met Sept. 15 and received reports
from Acting Director Barbara Alving, M.D., and Anthony Hayward,
M.D., Ph.D., NCRR Associate Director of Clinical Research, on NIH's
plans for transforming extramural clinical and translational research.
As announced in a Sept. 8 notice, NIH and NCRR will release Oct.
12 a request for applications (RFA) for new "Clinical
and Translational Science Awards." NIH Director Elias Zerhouni,
M.D., proposed last May [see Washington Highlights, May
27] the creation of such awards in an effort under the NIH Roadmap
to create designated "homes" for clinical research that
integrate or connect disparate centers and elements of clinical
research infrastructure as now exist. The new RFA will be the first
major step in the new initiative. Dr. Hayward noted that planning
grants also will be available for selected institutions. A "pre-submission"
meeting for representatives of institutions interested in applying
will be held in Arlington, Virginia, on Oct. 17. Dr. Alving noted
that funds to support the new projects will derive in great part
from allocations to the NIH Roadmap, but other funds also will come
from NCRR's future budgets.
Dr. Hayward also informed the counsel that the management of NIH's
K30 awards supporting development of curricula in clinical and translational
research training is being transferred to the NCRR, and that the
number of current awards will be raised from 49 to 51.
Information:
Howard Dickler, Director
AAMC Division of Biomedical and Helath Sciences Research
hdickler@aamc.org
(202) 828-0567
Stephen Heinig, Lead Science Policy Analyst
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
sheinig@aamc.org
(202) 828-0488
AAMC Supports Recognition Of Multiple Principal
Investigators
The AAMC strongly supports a federal initiative to recognize multiple
principal investigators (PIs) on sponsored research projects, including
National Institutes of Health (NIH) extramural awards, as a means
to foster multidisciplinary research. However, in a Sept.
15 reply to a request for public comments from NIH and other
agencies, the AAMC qualified its recommendation on condition that
"the policy does not denigrate the well established understanding
of the meaning of 'principal investigator' or diminish the value
and irreplaceable role" of science project management. Named
PIs should include only those individuals who share the major authority
and responsibility for leading and directing a project, intellectually
and logistically. AAMC also suggested that institutions proposing
multidisciplinary research projects with more than one PI should
be required to designate a project/program director or similar position
to ensure scientific and administrative accountability.
Information:
Howard Dickler, Director
AAMC Division of Biomedical and Helath Sciences Research
hdickler@aamc.org
(202) 828-0567
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