November 3, 2009 - Health Reform Moves Forward in the House of Representatives with Wellness-Related Provisions
The House of Representatives is slated to bring up its health care reform package to the floor to begin debate as early as Friday, November 6th. Click here to see a 10-page summary of the bill produced by the bill's supporters.
July 28, 2009 - Prevention and Wellness Update in Health Reform - Good News!!
As the House and Senate continue to work on health care reform legislation it is important to note the progress that has been made in the areas of prevention and wellness in House and Senate bills to date. The following links will provide you specific information on what provisions exist now in House and Senate health reform proposals. www.cushycms.com/temporary_uploads/43508/Prevention and Wellness, Senate HELP Bill.pdf
www.cushycms.com/temporary_uploads/43508/Section by Section, Prevention and Wellness, HR3200.pdf
May 11, 2009 - Senate Finance Committee Floats Wellness Tax Credit Bill Option for Health Reform
The Senate Finance Committee released a document today in relation to options for health care reform which includes initiatives for prevention and wellness. Specifically, legislation to provide businesses a tax credit to cover costs associated with workplace wellness was included as an option in this key document. For more information see the Senate Finance Committee website at finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/051109%20Health%20Care%20Description%20of%20Policy%20Options.pdf
April 2, 2009 - House and Senate Champions Introduce Workplace Wellness Tax Credit Legislation
On April 2, 2009, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) introduced the "Healthy Workforce Act of 2009 (H.R.1897)" in the House of Representatives. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the bill in the U.S. Senate (S.803). The following is a link to the bill text thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z
The Healthy Workforce Act assists businesses in providing a range of opportunities to help employees lead healthier lives, including incentives to offer onsite health promotion programs. The legislation is targeted primarily at smaller and mid-sized companies, who would otherwise have difficulty making the initial investment needed to support such programs. Keeping workers healthy can go a long way to reducing the growth in health care costs to employers.
March 10, 2009 - Workplace Wellness Legislation Expected in April
Discussions with key House and Senate staff in the Congress indicate that introduction of legislation to establish a tax credit for businesses that establish and maintain workplace wellness programs could be introduced as early as April.
February 13, 2009 - House and Senate Agree on Prevention/Wellness Fund of $1 Billion
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R.1), Congress is establishing a fund for prevention and wellness initiatives through the Department of Health and Human Services. Of that amount, $300,000,000 will be transferred to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an additional amount to carry out an immunization program. Additionally, $650,000,000 will be to carry out evidence-based clinical and community-based prevention and wellness strategies authorized by the PHS Act, as determined by the Secretary, that deliver specific, measurable health outcomes that address chronic disease rates. Finally, $50,000,000 will be provided to States for an additional amount to carry out activities to implement healthcare-associated infections reduction strategies.
February 6, 2009 - Announcement of National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Advisory Committee
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that the ninth in a series of federal advisory committee meetings regarding the national health promotion and disease prevention objectives for 2020 will be held in Washington, DC, on February 23, 2009, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 will address efforts to develop the nation's health promotion and disease prevention objectives and strategies to improve the health status and reduce health risks for Americans by the year 2020. The Committee will provide to the Secretary of Health and Human Services advice and consultation for developing and implementing the next iteration of national health promotion and disease prevention goals and objectives and provide recommendations for initiatives to occur during the initial
implementation phase of the goals and objectives. HHS will use the recommendations to inform the development of the national health promotion and disease prevention objectives for 2020 and the process for implementing the objectives. The intent is to develop and launch objectives designed to improve the health status and reduce health
risks for Americans by the year 2020.
DATES: The Committee will meet on February 23, 2009 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held online, via WebEx software. For detailed instructions about how to make sure that your windows computer and browser is set up for WebEx, please visit the ``Secretary's Advisory Committee'' Web page of the Healthy People Web site at: http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/advisory/default.asp.
To listen to the Committee meeting, individuals must pre-register to attend the Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 at the Healthy People Web site located at http://www.healthypeople.gov. Participation in the meeting is limited. Registrations will be accepted until maximum
WebEx capacity is reached and must be completed by 9 a.m. EST on February 23, 2009. A waiting list will be maintained should registrations exceed WebEx capacity. Individuals on the waiting list will be contacted as additional space for the meeting becomes available.
Registration questions may be directed to Hilary Scherer at HP2020@norc.org (e-mail), (301) 634-9374 (phone) or (301) 634-9301 (fax).
January 28, 2009 - House of Representatives Passes Economic Stimulus - Wellness and Prevention is Funded
On a vote of 244 to 188, the House passed the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," which is also referred to as the economic stimulus bill.
Within the bill is $3 billion to fight preventable chronic diseases, the leading cause of deaths in the U.S., and infectious diseases. The summary of the stimulus package states that “Preventing disease rather than treating illnesses is the most effective way to reduce healthcare costs. This includes hospital infection prevention, Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grants for state and local public health departments, immunization programs, and evidence-based disease prevention.” For further details go to http://appropriations.house.gov/.
January 21, 2009 – Alliance for Wellness in American is Launched!
Today we announce the formation of a new national coalition to help inform Members of Congress and the Obama Administration on the value of wellness in America as a component of health care reform efforts. The Alliance for Wellness in America will track progress on wellness related legislation, with a particular focus on corporate wellness tax credit legislation.
Yesterday was a historic day in Washington, D.C, with the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. As Congress and the Obama Administration begin to tackle the challenges ahead, we expect a renewed focus on the health of Americans. Creation and expansion of wellness related efforts, particularly in the workforce, must be part of changes to come in health care promotion and prevention efforts.
The Federal Group, Inc., a federal government relations consulting firm specializing in health care policy and legislation, is proud to be a part of this effort to promote wellness, particularly as it related to the workplace.
For more information on the Alliance for Wellness in America, please contact its Executive Director, Patrick J. Cooney at (202) 347-0034 or via email at Patrick@federalgrp.com.