Please come to the LWVMD Constitution Day program from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17 at the University of Maryland School of Law.  It is the 4th consecutive year we have collaborated with them and the University of Maryland, Baltimore to put on a Constitution Day program.  The topic, "Health Care Reform and the US Constitution," is exciting and timely and the panel this year is extremely qualified and attractive.

Details in attached flyer.

Panelists from AARP, Families USA, Maryland Association of NonProfit Organizations, Maryland Health Care for All! and the Small Business Majority.  In Baltimore. For details about the event, and to register, click on the attachment.

On the Federal level, health care reform seems to be in limbo. In order to pass the Senate as part of “Reconciliation,” the House must pass the Senate bill. Passage does not appear to be as easy as originally thought. Lost by many in the discussion is the little understood Sustainable Growth Rate. This is the rate which controls outpatient reimbursements and therefore physician reimbursements. The greater the use of outpatient services, the greater the cut in the SGR.   There have been many efforts over the years

Health Care Reform at the Federal level may be moving to the front burner again.   Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is again talking about putting the House bill on the budget reconciliation bill which would only require a majority vote up or down. President Obama is trying to negotiate with the Republicans. The AMA is worried about the 21 percent decrease in Medicare reimbursements scheduled to take effect on March 1, as they see physicians dropping out of Medicare. 

Health Care Reform at the Federal level seems to have moved to the back burner for the time being. It appears that the Democrats are trying to decide if they should take the bill apart and try to pass smaller portions of the bill. The real crux of the problem is the significant increase in the use of Medicaid and Medicare during this recession. A non-partisan accounting firm issued a report last week indicating that