[acb-diabetics] FW: [leadership] FW: Health Reform Teleseminar Invitation, Dial-In Instructions, Presenters

[Shirley Roberts]

Shirley Roberts
n8lx at earthlink.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Bridges <ebridges at acb.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 11:03 AM
To: leadership at acb.org; announce at acb.org
Subject: [leadership] FW: Health Reform Teleseminar Invitation, Dial-In Instructions, Presenters

The Healthcare Reform debate has been and continues to be quite contentious AFB will host a teleconference tomorrow afternoon to discuss the three  provisions  that the blind community has been advocating to have included in healthcare legislation. ACB is pleased to be a presenter on this teleconference. 
 
Eric    
 
From: AFB DirectConnect [mailto:mrichert at afb.net] 
 Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 12:08 PM
 To: AFB Subscriber
 Subject: Health Reform Teleseminar Invitation, Dial-In Instructions, Presenters
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
You are invited to—
 
 Readying for the Vision Loss and Health Reform Endgame
 A Teleseminar, December 2, 2009, 3:30pm Eastern
 
 (Please share this widely with your networks. Call-in and additional information below.)
 
 For further information, contact:
 
 Mark Richert
 Director, Public Policy, AFB
 (202) 822-0833
 MRichert at afb.net
 
 While every effort should continue to be made now to reach out to members of the U.S. Senate to communicate our field's health care priorities as the Senate moves toward bringing a comprehensive health reform bill to the Senate floor, plan on being a part of the December 2, 2009, 3:30pm Eastern, teleseminar, Readying for the Vision Loss and Health Reform Endgame, to be fully prepared to successfully advocate for the unique health care needs of people living with vision loss.
 
 To join the call, dial:
 
 1-800-294-4202
 Participant Code: 140-915.
 
 Please dial into the teleseminar a few minutes prior to the 3:30pm Eastern start time.
 
 Presenters include:
 
 Mark Richert
 Director, Public Policy
 American Foundation for the Blind
 
 Eric Bridges
 Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
 American Council of the Blind
 
 Roxann Mayros
 President and CEO
 VisionServe Alliance
 
 While it is common for bills passed by both houses of Congress to have their frequently widely varying provisions reconciled through a conference committee process, the health care reform debate is likely heading for a conference process of historic proportions. Assuming that the U.S. Senate can in fact pass its version of health care reform soon, our field needs to understand the dynamics likely to be in play in the upcoming conference process and how to best influence it to promote our field's health care and vision loss agenda.
 
 On Wednesday afternoon, December 2, 2009, 3:30pm Eastern, you are invited to join in a teleseminar that will:
 
detail what the current health reform bills do and do not provide with respect to drug label accessibility, coverage of low vision devices and other assistive technologies, recognition of vision rehabilitation professionals by America's health care system, and related policies; and
discuss the specific legislative language and strategies needed to achieve our field's objectives in conference.
 

 To date, none of the bills in play unambiguously advance the cause of reimbursement of the services provided by vision rehabilitation professionals, and none of the bills solve the problem of drug label inaccessibility. Both the House-passed health reform bill and the pending Senate legislation ensure some degree of public and private health plan coverage for devices and other assistive technologies, but the merger of these various provisions in conference will require considerable additional work to be meaningful.
 
 Historically, it is exceedingly rare for legislation to emerge from conference with provisions included in it that have never before appeared in any of its previous versions. However, the sheer size and scope of the health care bills that are likely to make it to conference may present some very useful opportunities to advance some aspects of our agenda.
 
 Join the interactive teleseminar next Wednesday afternoon, come with questions and comments, and help shape a strategy to achieve positive change in health care policy for people living with vision loss.
 
 
 
You can unsubscribe at any time. To remove your name from this mailing list, or to find out what other newsletters are available from AFB, visit http://www.afb.org/myAFBNewsletter.asp.
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