[Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Fw: UCP Washington Wire -- Week of August 29, 2011

Wed Aug 31 08:49:32 UTC 2011

UCP Washington Wire -- Week of August 29, 2011    Just passing this info along.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: United Cerebral Palsy 
To: carlos.montas at gmail.com 
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 10:01 AM
Subject: UCP Washington Wire -- Week of August 29, 2011

  UCP Washington Wire

  August 30, 2011

  SUPER COMMITTEE UPDATES

  The Super Committee: Where They Stand on Medicaid, Medicare, and The Affordable Care Act
  As part of the deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a U.S. default on obligations, Congressional leadership appointed a “super committee” of 12 members of Congress – six Democrats and six Republicans. They have been tasked with reducing the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. The super committee must present its plan to Congress by Thanksgiving. This piece, produced by Families USA, profiles the members of that committee, providing information about their stance on Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act, as well as where they stand regarding the inclusion of revenue as part of a debt reduction plan. Members of the committee are listed in alphabetical order by party affiliation, with the House members listed first. Click here to view the complete report.

  Super Committee Begins Talks
  Last week, Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) told an Indiana news station that the "super committee" has already held conference calls and is hard at work. He also noted that the panel is working on a website that will allow people to submit ideas, and he pledged that the committee will have public hearings that will occur at some point between now and December. Click here to read more.

  OMB Releases Sequestration Update Report
  Last week the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Sequestration Update Report to the President and Congress for Fiscal Year 2012 was released. Based on preliminary OMB scoring of the latest House action for the 12 annual appropriations bills, if offsets are not enacted, a sequestration of approximately $10 billion in discretionary programs in the security category would be required. The House completed action on these appropriations bills before enactment of the Budget Control Act (BCA). At this time, there is insufficient information on Senate appropriations levels to determine whether those levels would breach the limits. The Administration will work with Congress to ensure that no unintended breach of the spending limits occurs. Click here to view the report. 

  Representative Upton Vows "Super Committee" Will Not Touch Benefits Under Social Security or Medicare
  Representative Fred Upton (R-MI), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, vowed last week that the "super committee" he is on will not touch benefits under Social Security or Medicare. However, Upton did not rule out the possibility that the "super committee" would scale back future benefits, and  instead emphasized that current beneficiaries would not be affected by the panel's deficit-cutting efforts. Click here to read more from The Hill. 

  Obama Administration Urging Federal Agencies to Cut Budgets
  Both the Associated Press and Politico have recently reported that the Obama Administration is urging federal agencies to cut their budgets. In a memo released by the White House, OMB Director Jack Lew has ordered agency heads to submit spending plans for the upcoming budget at at least five percent below this year's levels. Lew is also asking agencies to propose ways of trimming a total of at least 10 percent of their spending. Click here to read more. 

  CURRENT NEWS and UPDATES

  Plan Announced to Increase Special Education Funding
  Last week, it was announced that there may be two different bills introduced in Congress that are designed to fully fund special education. Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) says he intends to introduce legislation in September to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The news comes just a month after Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced a similar bill. Both bills will call for the federal government to meet its obligation to pay 40 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities, but they differ in how they would come up with the money. The federal government initially committed to cover 40 percent of IDEA costs in 1975 when the landmark special education law was first enacted. But the obligation was never met, and today Congress contributes just 16.1 percent of IDEA spending, with states and school districts paying the rest. Click here to view a summary Senator Harkin's plan. Click here to read "Jared Polis' big IDEA; an interview." 

  U.S. Department of Education Grants for Special Education
  The Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has granted $5 million to fund 19 special education Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI centers) in 13 states and Puerto Rico. States that won grants include Maryland, New York and North Dakota. The purpose of PTI centers is to provide parents with the training and information they need to work with special education professionals in meeting the early intervention and special needs of children with disabilities. Click here to view the full press release.

  August Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Report Released
  Last week the Congressional Budget Office projected that rebounding revenue, combined with the force of the debt-reduction deal that became law earlier this month, will reduce the deficit by an estimated $3.3 trillion. However, CBO still warned that the extension of Bush-era tax rates and other policies would more than offset those savings. The budget office, as expected, said the deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends September 30, would be $1.3 trillion. Click here to view the New York Times article on the CBO report. 

  STATE CHECK-UP

  Landmark Health Care Reform Legislation in California Introduced by Senate President Steinberg
  Potential sweeping landmark health care insurance reform legislation was introduced last week by California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg that would require health managed care plans and health insurance plans to provide as a covered benefit behavioral health treatment for persons with autism spectrum disorders. The legislation would take effect, if passed by the legislature before it adjourns for the year on September 9 and signed by the Governor on or before October 9, on January 1, 2012. The bill will likely meet fierce opposition from health managed care plans and strong support from advocates for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Click here to read more about the bill, which Steinberg said he is committed to passing before the legislature adjourns on September 9th. 

  Arkansas State Government Looks at Areas for Medicaid Reform
  State officials in Arkansas have identified nine areas that they want to focus on as they look at changing the way Medicaid pays for services, including neonatal care and developmental disabilities, Governor Mike Beebe told federal health officials in a letter released last week. In May, Arkansas was given initial approval to move forward with developing plans to switch from a fee-for-service model that Medicaid uses. The state instead hopes to pay partnerships of local providers for "episodes" of care rather than each individual treatment. Targeted areas include: pregnancy and neonatal care, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, type 2 diabetes, back pain, cardiovascular disease, upper respiratory infections, developmental disabilities, long term care and prevention. Click here to read more from Business Week and click here for a local point of view.

  Pennsylvania Department of Education Meets IDEA Requirements
  Last week marked the fourth time in the past five years that Pennsylvania has earned the highest level possible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as determined by the U.S. Department of Education. Pennsylvania is the only large state to achieve the "meets requirements" status, and is one of fourteen states to receive the determination. Click here to read more.

  Click here to view the Pennsylvania Department of Education's FY 2009 Annual Performance Report.

  ON THE HORIZON

  President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families, President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) has announced a notice for an open meeting. The meeting will take place on Monday, September 26 from 8:30 am-5 pm EST and on Tuesday, September 27 from 9 am-5 pm EST. Committee members will discuss preparation of the PCPID 2011 Report to the President, including its content and format, and related data collection and analysis required to complete the writing of the report. Click here for additional information on the meeting. 

  For more information on this UCP Washington Wire contact: Connie Garner, CGarner at ucp.org.

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