AANS CNS Special Announcement on Health Care Reform

July 17, 2009

This week marked the beginning of the sprint towards healthcare reform, as President Obama has directed Congress to send him a reform bill by this October. On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passed its version of healthcare reform legislation and yesterday three committees in the House of Representatives began considering their version of the bill. The Senate Finance Committee has yet to reveal its final proposed plans for reform.

Throughout the week, your leadership has been in Washington, DC witnessing this debate unfold and engaging in the legislative process. On Tuesday, we attended a legislative conference sponsored by the Alliance of Specialty Medicine where we heard from leaders of both political parties from both the House and Senate. On Wednesday, we met with key Members of Congress to share with them our views about healthcare reform, Medicare reimbursement and medical liability reform. And today, your Washington Committee for Neurosurgery met and had considerable discussions about healthcare reform and the course of action that organized neurosurgery must take.

Unlike some other physician organizations, the AANS and CNS have determined that the best course is to follow medicine’s long standing principles for healthcare reform. To this end, we are opposing the current version of H.R. 3200, the “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” and today issued a press release to this effect.

Download a copy of the release.

In the coming days and weeks, your professional societies will be developing more detailed information about health care reform legislation to keep you abreast of, and engaged in, the historic debate over healthcare reform.

In the meantime, for more information, please contact Katie O. Orrico, Director of the AANS/CNS Washington Office, at korrico@neurosurgery.org or 202 446 2024.