Monthly Archives: June 2009
BIAA Supports the Sports Legacy Institute’s Brain Donor Registry for Military Veterans
Leading medical experts at the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to advancing understanding of the long-term effects of brain trauma, announced Tuesday, June 23, 2009, that they have launched the SLI Military Living Donor Registry, a brain and spinal cord donation registry for active and veteran members of the United States military.
House Tri-Committee Proposal (Committee on Energy and Commerce, Committee on Education and Labor, Ways and Means Committee)
This week, the House began debating their draft Health Care Reform bill that was developed by the chairmen of the three committees of jurisdiction.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP)
This week, the Senate HELP committee continued to mark up a draft health care overhaul bill drafted by its chairman, Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Senate Finance Committee
The Senate Finance Committee, whose members have been negotiating a bipartisan proposal behind the scenes this week left Thursday for the July Fourth recess without a deal, although Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said he has developed policy to pay for legislation that would cost less than $1 trillion over 10 years.
Health Care Reform Update
This week Congress leaves for the July 4th recess in the midst of the Heath Care Reform debate. At this time, both the Senate and the House of Representatives is engaging in talks over draft proposals with the hopes of bringing one collective measure to a final vote this fall. BIAA will continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for the provisions essential to the brain injury community.
Coalition for Regenerative Stem Cell Medicine update
As part of the Coalition for Regenerative Stem Cell Medicine, BIAA enthusiastically endorses two important pieces of legislation aimed at advancing the therapeutic potential of newborn stem cells, the unique stem cells that can be collected immediately following birth from umbilical cord blood and the cord itself, as well as helping to advance the use of one’s own newborn stem cells in regenerative medicine.
NIDRR Grant Forecast
This week, The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) announced it will include two TBI grant programs in its forecast for 2009. http://www.ed.gov/
Health Care Reform Update
On June 9, 2009, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a draft health care reform bill. In summary, the draft would expand Medicaid eligibility to those with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, impose federal tax penalties on most individuals failing to purchase coverage, mandate a public plan option, require employers to provide coverage or pay into a pool, and stiffen regulation of private health insurance plans.
Cognitive Rehabilitation Coverage
This week BIAA learned of two important victories centered around cognitive rehabilitation services. Anthem Insurance Companies (Anthem BC/BS, Anthem Health Plans) revised its cognitive rehabilitation coverage policy in December 2008 and cited BIAA’s position paper among the authoritative sources consulted. Last month, United Health Care followed suit by publishing a coverage change in its May 2009 Network Bulletin .
BIAA Submits Comments to NIDRR in Response to Proposed Priorities for RRTCs
This week, BIAA submitted comments to the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) specifically regarding the fourth priority included in the proposed plan for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs) entitled, “Developing Strategies to Foster Community Integration and Participation for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury.”
