Policy Corner: February 24, 2023
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
Senate HELP Committee Studies Health Care Workforce Shortages
Last Thursday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee, led a discussion on the healthcare workforce challenges facing our country during the hearing, “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go from Here?.” The committee has been holding a series of hearings regarding health care workforce shortages and the impact that has on the health of Americans, especially among people in minority communities. Last week’s hearing focused on the shortage of mental health service providers, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, addiction specialists and other specialists, particularly in rural areas. Senator Sanders also noted the healthcare crisis also extends to emergency medical services (EMS) and our first responders who are often the first people called upon with regard to someone who sustains a brain injury, trauma and other situations, yet, EMS workers are often volunteers or underpaid professionals.
Senator Sanders discussed as possible solutions legislation to increase student loan debt forgiveness and to expand scholarships that the National Health Service Corps program provides, which has been expanded in recent years for doctors, nurses, dentists and mental health providers. Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-La.), said that one of the biggest potential barriers could be the education requirements for nursing educators. The committee noted that these shortages occurred before the COVID-19 pandemic, but that since then, the situation has continued to become a problem, if not worse.
Senate Appropriations Leadership Announce Subcommittees
U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee respectively, have announced the Appropriations Subcommittees chairs, Ranking Members, and full rosters for the 118th Congress. Chairing the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, which consider funding for the agencies primarily involved with brain injury, is Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and the Ranking Member is Senator Shelley Moore Capitol (R-W.Va.). Other members are: Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Joe Manchin (D-Va.); Lindsey Graham (R-N.C.), Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Senator Murray chairs the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, and Senator Boozman is the Ranking Member. Senator Tester is the chair and Senator Collins was named the Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees and sets the annual budget for the Department of Defense.
CMS Proposes Benefit Expansion for Power Seat Elevation Equipment
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed, for the first time ever, to cover seat elevation systems in power wheelchairs. The Brain Injury Association of American (BIAA) has supported policy efforts, along with other patient advocacy groups, to allow Medicare coverage for power seat elevations equipment on certain power wheelchairs. The proposal for National Coverage Determination (NCD) decision is open for public comment for 30 days, closing on March 17, 2023.
If finalized, power seat elevation equipment would be covered by Medicare for individuals with a Group 3 power wheelchair, which are designed to meet the needs of people with Medicare with severe disabilities, in order to improve their health as they transfer from the wheelchair to other surfaces. Transfers often strain shoulder and back muscles and constrain an individual’s daily mobility at home and other customary locations.
CMS follows a long-standing process established by Congress to determine whether a medical item or service can be covered nationally by Medicare, including when an item or service is reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis of and/or treatment of an illness or injury. This week’s proposed NCD follows an evidence-based clinical analysis CMS initiated in August 2022 to examine whether the use of power seat elevation equipment on power wheelchairs: 1) falls within a Medicare benefit category and 2) if yes, whether it is reasonable and necessary.
Organizations Plan for Brain Injury Awareness Month
The Brain Injury Association of America is refining its plans for March Brain Injury Awareness Day and these plans will be announced soon. In the past, this day has been an opportunity for the brain injury community to learn about advocacy and communicate with legislators.
The National Association of Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) is holding a SEED Summit on March 7-8, 2023, at the Residence Inn Arlington Capital View, Arlington Virginia. The SEED Summit is hosted by Pennsylvania and will provide participants an opportunity to discuss strategies for building state service and support systems. Space is limited. Individuals who are interested may register here. NASHIA’s 2023 SEED Summit This meeting provides an opportunity for participants to fly in to Washington, D.C. and visit with their Congressional delegation in coordination with other stakeholders.
As a reminder, the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) virtual “Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Partners Day” is scheduled for February 28, 2023, 12:00 – 4:00 pm (ET) in observance of March Brain Injury Awareness Month. There is no cost to register for the event. You may register for the event here.