Legislation
"Good Medicine
For Us All"
See Newsletters
for timely updates.
Legislative
Update
FLAMPAC/1000
Club
List
of Legislators
Throughout the year,
LCMSA member - Betty
Rubenstein - will keep you up to
date with legislative activity. Why is legislative activity
important? Being a part of the medical family, we are affected by every
piece of legislation concerning medicine. It governs how our physician
spouses may treat their patients, how they are paid for their efforts
and - like everyone else, the way we are treated as healthcare
consumers.
Legislative
Update
In this election year,
2002, we must work together to elect
legislators who are friends of medicine. To do this,
we encourage your support by contributing money to
their campaigns, distributing literature, voting for them (and getting
others to vote for them), and attending (or hosting) a fundraiser.
Help us increase public awareness of the really important issues, especially
Tort Reform ( H.E.A.L.T.H. Act 2002, bill HR 4600); and Medicare Legislation
(Medicare Modernization...bill HR 4954). To learn more or
to contact your members of Congress directly,
visit the AMA Grassroots Action Center http://capwiz.com/ama/home/
Tell all of them to support these bills, and add "This is a
big step in the right direction - to ensure that quality medical care
in the hands of quality physicians will not remain in peril for
Floridians and all Americans."
In the past legislative
session, our Florida Medical Association and Lee County Medical
Society, together with the Alliance, helped pass or defeat
many pieces of legislation that directly affected us. The following list
includes some of the numerous accomplishments the House of Medicine provided
the physicians and patients of Florida:
Scope of Practice
Issue - Defeated Again
The FMA and the various specialty societies have once again
defeated all legislation expanding the scope of practice of all allied
health professionals.
Prompt Pay /
Downcoding - Approved
Legislation that ensures HMO's are held accountable in their
business relationships with physicians, ensures timely payments, and
provides a means to appeal adverse HMO decisions was sent to the Governor
for final approval. Physicians will finally have a mechanism to more
adequately deal with managed care companies.
Hospitalists - Sent
to the Governor
Legislation that ensures HMOs from mandating the use of
hospitalists by their subscribers has passed the Legislature and now goes to
the Governor for final approval.
$23 Million Increase
- Approved
The FMA is pleased to report that the Florida Legislature
agreed on a $23 million increase for Medicaid Physician Reimbursement
across-the-board to all specialties. This is the first across-the-board
increase for physicians in Medicaid Reimbursement in over 10 years.
1.5% Tax Reduction -
Passed
Legislation repealing a portion of the 1.5% tax on net
operation revenues for physician office practices -providing clinical
laboratory and diagnostic imaging services- has passed the Legislature. The
PMATF tax will now be reduced to 1.0 % and will save Florida physicians who
pay the tax over $8 million.
Two
ways YOU Can Help...
One easy way
to take the initiative is by becoming
a member of FLAMPAC
- the Florida Medical Political Action Committee,
created by the FMA in 1949. Today, we are 4000 members
strong, but more are needed, MORE THAN EVER!
The FLAMPAC Board
consists of physicians from all over the state,
including our very own Dr. Steve West! They
do the work for us! Through careful study, they determine
medicine-friendly political candidates
and recommend their candidates to the FMA for endorsement and support. Each
candidate is then given up to the $500.00 limit
per election cycle. In
the public eye, these endorsements are the official standing of the FMA.
To
find out if your Lee County Physician spouse is
a member of FLAMPAC,
call the Lee County
Medical Society office at (239) 936-1645. If your
spouse is already a regular member at
$150.00, you can upgrade to Family Membership by
sending in $100.00. Every $ and
vote COUNTS! Please Help
FLAMPAC Help Medicine!
Make your check payable
to:
"FLAMPAC"
c/o
LCMS
P.O.
Box 60041
Fort
Myers, FL 33906-0041
Another
way
to take the initiative is through the 1000 Club, a division of
FLAMPAC.
The 1000 Club provides FMA endorsed candidates with thousands of dollars of
support in the final days before elections - when they need the money the
most! ...for radio and TV ads, posters, fliers, etc. In
this process, our united Medical Family hopes that the PUBLIC
will vote pro-medicine, too.
HOW THE 1000 CLUB WORKS: Our
Alliance asks each member for a maximum $200 pledge over 2 years, combining
every 5 pledges to make one 1000 Club membership ($1000). When the
time nears for the election, you will be notified as to who to write your
check to and I will come pick it up pronto! All
you have to do is sign the 1000 Club Pledge Card TODAY and
mail it to me, as shown in our InTouch Newsletter.
FLAMPAC
and the 1000 Club really
works!!
If you have any questions, e-mail
Betty
Rubenstein at: betty18@aol.com
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