Policy Corner: May 6, 2022
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
Senators Announce Bill to Update the Asset Limits for SSI
On May 3, Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) announced the introduction of the “Savings Penalty Elimination Act” to update the asset limits for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries, which would enable beneficiaries to have more savings in case of an emergency without affecting their benefits. The senators’ bill, the first significant bipartisan legislation in decades, would bring the SSI program into the 21st Century and ensure individuals living with brain injury and on SSI, as well as those with other disabilities and who are elderly to be able to live with dignity. Currently, individuals receiving SSI can have no more than $2,000 in assets. Married couples are limited to $3,000. Those figures have not changed since 1984. Senator Portman said he wants to help people with disabilities and others on SSI who have been harmed by rising costs and inflation.
Lawmakers Introduce the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act
On April 28, 2022, Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) introduced “The Protecting Health Care for All Patients” to expand access to treatment and prevent discrimination against people with disabilities by prohibiting the use of “quality adjusted life years” (QALYs) in all federal programs. Currently, only Medicare is prohibited from using QALYs. QALYs are a metric used to determine the cost-effectiveness of medications and treatment in healthcare. The metric is a subjective quality of life standard that anticipates a person’s lifespan. The use of QALYs can lead to denying medications and treatment to people with disabilities.
Patient advocacy organizations, including the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), have expressed concerns that the controversial metric intentionally devalues treatments for individuals with brain injury and other disabilities and those with chronic illnesses for purposes of determining whether the treatment is cost-effective enough to be covered.
Congressional Neuroscience Caucus to Hold Briefing on Long-Haul COVID-19
On May 18, the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus will hold a virtual briefing, “Long-Haul Neurological and Psychological Impacts from COVI-19.” The Briefing is scheduled for 2:00pm (ET) and is supported by the American Academy of Neurology, American Brain Coalition, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the Society for Neuroscience. The purpose is to examine the long-haul neurological and psychological impacts that society is predicted to see from the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Appropriations Committee to Hold Hearing on Health of Older Adults
The House Appropriations Committee is holding a hearing next Thursday, May 12, at 10:00am (ET) on “Healthy Aging: Maximizing the Independence, Well-being, and Health of Older Adults.” Witnesses include Elder Justice Coalition, Senior Citizens, Inc., and the National Council on Aging and Evidenced-Based Leadership Collaborative. It is anticipated that falls prevention will be addressed, which falls among older adults is a major cause of traumatic brain injury.
Education Announces Plans to Gather Public Input on Section 504 of the Rehab Act
The U.S. Department of Education has announced plans to gather public input on possible amendments to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the landmark disability civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public and private programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, including schools and postsecondary institutions. The Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is soliciting public comments to help decide how best to improve current regulations to assist America’s students with disabilities. Interested parties may go to www.ed.gov/policy/rights/reg/ocr/ to submit comments. The Department will also hold listening sessions in the coming months.
The Department’s Section 504 regulations were the first issued by the federal government that addressed the treatment of people with disabilities through a civil rights framework, rather than through solely a medical or vocational framework. These provisions were the foundation for many of the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.