January 2010 Report from Legislative Plaza – Legislative Affairs
TennCare Cuts
The TennCare Bureau has proposed two versions of their budget that will be presented to the Assembly on Monday, February 1st as part of the larger state budget. The budget that has a 9 percent cut includes an elimination of coverage for speech-language pathology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy services for all non-pregnant adults (aged 18 years and older). Services to children are still intact. The less severe budget retains rehabilitation coverage. It is anticipated that the 9% cut budget is the one that we will see. On Tuesday, January 26, representatives from the Tennessee OT, PT, and SLP associations met to develop strategies to advocate for retaining these services. For TAASLP, Barbara Jacobson, VP-Legislative Affairs, and Susan Logan, President-Elect, were present. Also in attendance were the lobbyists for the organizations, students, and Rep. Bob Ramsey (R-Maryville). Three other legislators were invited but were unable to attend.
We determined to form a coalition of the three state organizations based on the national Tri-Alliance of AOTA, APTA, and ASHA. We will be coordinating activities to initiate grassroots advocacy for clinicians and patients. Rep. Joey Hensley, chair of the TennCare Oversight Committee, has agreed to sponsor a bill that would assure that SLP, OT, and PT services must be covered by TennCare. This bill will most likely not pass; however, it will publicize the potential for cutting these services and Rep. Hensley’s support is significant.
Day on the Hill
We received a grant from ASHA in the amount of $1500 to create opportunities for students to become involved in advocacy. We were originally intending to plan our Day on the Hill event in conjunction with the Disability Coalition. However, in light of the recent developments in the TennCare budget and this grant, we will be holding a joint Day on the Hill event with TOTA and TPTA on Tuesday, March 30. More details regarding the agenda for that day will be forthcoming.
Action Alert
Look for more information about what you can do to help stop TennCare cuts on the TAASLP website. We will have form letters for you to correspond with your legislators, form letters for patients and other interested individuals, and the link to determining who your state representatives and senators are. If you would like to be involved in planning the Day on the Hill event, please let me know.
-- Barb
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