Wisconsin
Advocates: Stacy Brault, Sandy Lampman, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin,
Kimberly Haugstad,
and Michael O'Connor
Approximately 300 people
traveled to Washington, D.C. on February 24-25, 2010 to participate
in the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Washington Days annual
advocacy event. When meeting with their senators and representatives
participants focused on two key issues: maintaining federal funding
for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)
hemophilia program and garnering support for the private insurance
reforms included in health reform.
Washington Days provides the
bleeding disorders community the
opportunity to educate Congress
about the issues affecting us and to
spotlight the importance of the
hemophilia treatment center (HTC)
network. This year’s effort is
particularly important because
President Obama’s FY 2011 proposed
budget for the CDC zeroes out the
hemophilia program, reallocating the
money for a "public health approach
to blood disorders." It is not clear
what the CDC intends to do with this
new approach and there is no
guarantee that existing hemophilia
program activities will be
adequately supported. Participants
this year advocated for the
reinstatement of the CDC’s
hemophilia program to ensure that
access to care at HTCs is not
jeopardized.
Efforts on the health reform front
were directed at advocating for key
private insurance market reforms to
be included in the final reform
legislation, which will benefit
individuals with bleeding disorders
and other high-cost, chronic and
rare conditions. Participants
requested that the final health
reform legislation have the
strongest possible patient
protections and ensure access to
health insurance plans for
individuals with high medical costs.
We respectfully requested that the
final health reform legislation be
applicable to all insurance
plans--existing and new plans--and
that it include the immediate
elimination of lifetime and annual
caps, and other key reforms such as
the elimination of pre-existing
conditions exclusions.
For more information on the funding
issue regarding the CDC’s hemophilia
program be on the lookout for e-mail
blasts from NHF’s policy department.
To stay up to date on health reform
and opportunities to get involved,
please visit the Advocacy section at
www.hemophilia.org.
The material provided in Headline
News is for your general information
only. GLHF does not give medical
advice or engage in the practice of
medicine. GLHF under no
circumstances recommends particular
treatment for specific individuals,
and in all cases recommends that you
consult your physician or treatment
center before pursuing any course of
treatment.
