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January 20, 2006
Organizational meetings dominated activities this week in the Missouri General Assembly. After the Governor’s State of the State last week, the budget committees are “sifting” through recommendations to evaluate their proceedings. Activities this week include:
CAFO’s
Joint Committee on Agriculture met on January 18th.
Information session on CAFO – At the end of the session, an announcement was made that there will be no CAFO legislation this year. I have a hard copy of the press release.
Presentations were made by:
- Congressman Kenny Hulshof – Federal Landscape
- Rex Ricketts – U of M Coordinator of Commercial Agriculture
- Dr. Ray Massey – U f M
- Dr. John Lory – U of M
- Dr. Vern Pierce – U of M
- Zach Kinne – President of MO FFA
- Sky Vanderberg – President MO 4-H
New House Committee Formed to Review Key Health Care Bills
Speaker of the House Rod Jetton has appointed a new legislative committee called the Special Committee on Healthcare Facilities. It will review bills assigned to it by the Speaker that affect hospitals, physicians and health care facilities. Ordinarily, those bills would be reviewed by the House Health Care Policy Committee.
To date, the committee has been assigned two bills. Both are sponsored by the chairman of the new committee, Rob Schaaf, M.D., R-St. Joseph. House Bill 1079 would expand the power of a hospital medical staff to operate independently of the hospital governing board. House Bill 1080 would allow ambulatory surgical center physicians to have medical staff privileges at a hospital as far as 50 miles away from the surgery center. The committee is expected to be assigned legislation filed by Schaaf that would end certificate of need review of construction of new hospitals or the purchase of single pieces of medical equipment costing more than $1 million.
Other members of the new committee include state representatives Steven Tilley, vice chair, R-Perryville; Bob Nance, R-Excelsior Springs; Mark Wright, R-Springfield; Steve Hunter, R-Joplin; Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho; and Charlie Denison, R-Springfield. In addition to the seven Republicans, four Democratic representatives are likely to serve on the committee but have not yet been named.
Governor Authorizes Missouri Healthcare Information Technology Task Force
This week, Gov. Matt Blunt issued an executive order to create Missouri Healthcare Information Technology Task Force. He announced his intention to form the group in last week’s State of the State speech to the Missouri General Assembly.
The task force is to assess the capabilities and cost of expanding the use of information technology in health care. In doing so, it is to identify potential funding sources and technical or regulatory obstacles. The group is to submit a preliminary report and recommendations by July 1, 2006, and a final report by Sept. 1, 2006.
The task force will be comprised of 14 gubernatorial appointees and will be chaired by Department of Health and Senior Services Director Julie Eckstein. The other members will be announced at a later date.
The executive order is posted at http://www.gov.mo.gov/eo/2006/eo06_003.htm.
Newt Gingrich Addresses Missouri Senate on Health Care Issues
Newt Gingrich, a former Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives who now heads the Washington-based Center for Health Transformation, was invited by Republican and Democrat Senate leaders to speak to lawmakers in Jefferson City this week. Gingrich promoted personal responsibility, market forces and technology as solutions to improve the current heath care system.
The focus of Gingrich’s speech was Medicaid reform. He suggested four key areas for transforming the program into what he calls a 21st Century Responsible Citizen Medicaid Act:
- The Medicaid program should be a paper-free, individually centered health system that actively supports continuity of care for all beneficiaries, blending seamlessly into privately owned health insurance plans. Gingrich suggests that this will not happen while federal Medicaid rules, regulations and waivers hamstring governors in their efforts to modernize their Medicaid programs.
- The Medicaid program should be transformed within the context of 100 percent insurance coverage as a national objective. He proposes the ultimate goal is to have all Americans in a health plan of their choosing, one that remains their health plan regardless of income, employer or employment status. “Leaving 43 million Americans uncovered is immoral, unjust and in the long run more expensive,” says Gingrich.
- Medicaid must evolve into a system that is result-oriented and not process-based. He stated that governors and state Medicaid directors should not have to go to Washington on bended knee to ask permission to improve how they deliver care to their citizens who are most in need.
- Federal and state governments should differentiate between money spent as a cost and money spent as an investment. Gingrich suggests a newer, forward-looking scoring budget process is needed that recognizes the benefits of dollars “invested” in today’s budget cycle may not be realized until later budget cycles. He states that health insurance for everyone is an investment that will cost less in the long-run, but will require a significant change in the way federal and state governments plan their budgets: changing from a single cycle, line-item process to a long-term, multi-cycle budget-scoring process.
In a separate closed session with both Republicans and Democrats, Gingrich advocated the repeal of CON and a ban on physicians referring patients to facilities they own.
Committee Changes for the 2006 Legislative Session
Budget Committee
Rep. Ed Robb will be appointed as Vice-Chair
Agriculture Policy Committee
Rep Munzlinger will no longer serve as Vice-Chair and will no longer serve on this committee
Rep. Billy Pat Wright will be appointed Vice-Chair
Rep. Jason Smith will serve on this committee
Small Business Committee
Rep. Sherman Parker will no longer be Vice-Chair but will continue to serve on this committee
Rep. Ryan Silvey will appointed Vice-Chair
Rep. Kathy Chinn will be removed from this committee
Rep. Brad Lager will be appointed to serve on this committee
Conservation and Natural Resources Committee
Rep. Tom Self will step down as Vice-Chair and be removed from this committee
Rep. David Day will appointed Vice-Chair
Rep. Ward Franz will be appointed to serve on this committee
Appropriations-Education Committee
Rep. Jason Smith will be appointed to serve on this committee
Rep Allen Icet will be removed from this committee
Judiciary Committee
Rep. Jason Smith will be appointed to serve on this committee
Rep. Tim Flook will be appointed to serve on this committee
Appropriations-Health, Mental Health and Social Services Committee
Rep. Allen Icet will be removed from the committee
Rep. Tom Self will be removed from the committee
Rep. Brad Lager will be appointed to serve on this committee
Rep. Rob Schaaf will be appointed to serve on this committee
Appropriations-Public Safety and Corrections Committee
Rep. Rob Schaaf will be removed from the committee
Rep. David Day will be appointed to serve on this committee
Ethics Committee
Rep. Mark Bruns will be removed from the committee
Rep. Bill Deeken will be appointed to serve on this committee
Rep. Tom Self will be appointed to serve on this committee
Financial Institutions Committee
Rep. Kenny Jones will be appointed to serve on this committee
Higher Education Committee
Rep. Tim Flook will be removed from this committee
Rep. David Pearce will be appointed to serve on this committee
Professional Registration and Licensing Committee
Rep. Scott Muschany will be appointed to serve on this committee
General Laws Committee
Rep. Mike Parson will be appointed to serve on this committee
Rep. Shannon Cooper will be appointed to the committee
Transportation Committee
Rep. Joe Smith will be removed from the committee
Rep. Sally Faith will be appointed to serve on this committee
Utilities Committee
Rep. Joe Smith will be appointed to serve on this committee
Elementary and Secondary Education Committee
Rep. Nathan Cooper will be appointed to the committee
Rep. Scott Muschany will be removed from the committee
Workforce Development and Workplace Safety Committee
Rep. Jane Cunningham will be removed from the committee
Special Committee on Student Achievement and Finance
Rep. Brian Baker will be appointed Chair of the committee
Rep. Scott Muschany will appointed Vice-Chair of the committee
Rep. Carl Bearden, Rep Tim Flook, and Rep. Will Krauss will be appointed committee members
Special Committee on Healthcare Facilities
Rep. Rob Schaaf will be appointed Chair of the committee
Rep. Steve Tilley will be appointed Vice-Chair of the committee
Rep. Charlie Denison, Rep. Steve Hunter, Rep. Bob Nance, Rep. Kevin Wilson, and Rep. Mark Wright will be appointed to serve on this committee
Special Committee on Energy and Environment
Rep. Walt Bivins will be appointed Chair of the committee
Rep. Kathy Chinn will be appointed Vice Chair of the committee
Rep. Kathlyn Fares, Rep. Jim Guest, Rep. Scott Muschany, Rep. Rodney Schad and Rep. Dennis Wood will be appointed to serve on this committee
Special Committee on Agribusiness
Rep. Brian Munzlinger will be appointed Chair of the committee
Rep. Barney Fisher will be appointed Vice-Chair of the committee
Rep. Brad Lager, Rep. Rodney Schad, Rep. Charlie Schlottach, Rep. Mike Sutherland, and Rep. Maynard Wallace will be appointed members of the committee
Next Week
Committee hearings will begin earnest as legislators begin to review the 800 bills filed thus far in the legislative session.
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