LEGISLATIVE CONNECTION
A communication of the Iowa Nurses Association
A benefit of membership
Volume 5, Number 3, January 31, 2003

Connecting with Nurses on Health Issues

INA Priority Issue Introduced
House File 60 was introduced by Reps. Dan Boddicker (R-Tipton) and Linda Upmeyer (R-Garner). Discussions are occurring again this year. INA is pointing out that 85% of Medicaid clients are in managed care and therefore excluded from accessing an advanced practice nurse for primary care services even though Medicaid pays ARNPs 20% less than a physician. Please direct your calls to the House Human Resources Committee with your story of access barriers.

Find your legislator, current legislation, bill history, publications, Iowa laws, legislative agencies, and more by going to the legislative web site: www.legis.state.ia.us. The INA Legislative Connection will give you the bill numbers, legislator names and committee names to assist you in locating information more quickly. On the legislative website, click on "Track Legislation", "Information by Bill", "Display a Bill and Amendments" to see what the bill proposes. Click on "Bill History" to follow the progress of a bill.

Register for Lobby Day-February 20, 2003 Today!
Go to the INA website at http://www.iowanurses.org and sign up for the INA Lobby Day. The morning will be time to contact your legislator about nursing issues. From 10-1 there will be display tables from nursing specialty organizations to speak with and answer questions of legislators. We encourage some interactive activity, like taking blood pressures, advocating for "Lighten Up Iowa", whatever preventive health measure you would like to offer. The afternoon program is continuing education on delegation for 3 hours at the State Historical Building, East 6th and Grand. It has been ANCC and IBON approved. Check the website for the CE program agenda. Early Bird Registration ends after February 8. Schools of Nursing are encouraged to submit one list with all student names and one check for speedy processing.

Visits Made with Appropriations Chairs and Budget Subcommittee Chairs

On Thursday, January 30, Lorinda Inman, Linda Goeldner and Ann-Marie Baughman met with Representatives Dix (House Appropriations Chair) and Heaton (Health & Human Services Subcommittee Co-Chair) and Senator Maggie Tinsman (Health & Human Services Subcommittee Co-Chair) to discuss funding for the Board of Nursing at 100% of the fees raised from nursing licenses and disciplinary fees. There was mixed response and cautiousness about what it would do to the state budget for the Board of Nursing to receive 100% funding. Please speak with your legislator by email or at the local Saturday coffees/listening posts held in your community about the importance to nursing about fully funding.

INA members Jean Logan and Greta Degen-Stout met with Rep. David Heaton (R-Mt Pleasant) and Co-chair of the Budget Subcommittee for Health and Human Services Appropriations. They discussed the need to fund the Iowa College Aid Commission to assist nurses seeking to be nursing faculty. They also discussed the need to recognize ARNPs as primary care providers under the Medicaid program and private insurance carriers. INA members are strongly encouraged to come to the Capitol on Lobby Day and any other day convenient to explain to legislators the nursing perspective.

STATUS OF 2003 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

1. FUNDING THE BOARD OF NURSING: Appropriate funds to reflect funding of the Board of Nursing with 100% of license and renewal fees collected. (Awaiting Governor's budget)

2. TOBACCO REDUCTION INITIATIVE: Pass an increase of the cigarette excise tax by $1.00 per package to reduce tobacco use by Iowa's youth and strengthen the state tobacco use prevention and control program. (Seeking legislative sponsors)

3. FUNDING OF NURSE RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT PROGRAM: Appropriate funding for the College Aid Commission to support registered nurses increasing their education to become nursing faculty and to support recruitment. (Awaiting Governor's Budget)

4. MANDATORY OVERTIME: Pass legislation similar to that passed in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas and Washington State which bans or severely limits the use of mandatory overtime as a staffing measure and which is defined as being compelled or forced to work hours beyond agreed upon assignments by threat of discrimination, dismissal, licensure discipline and/or other sanctions. (Bill being drafted.)

5. MENTAL HEALTH PARITY: Pass legislation providing for parity in health insurance for mental health to be no different than physical health coverage, with recognition for children and adolescents including services for chemically dependent and appropriate housing for individuals with persistent mental illness. ( HF 63, SF 58 introduced)

6. ASSISTED LIVING. Pass legislation that assures that registered nurses are available and utilized to provide services at their level of education to assess and evaluate residents and participate in policy-making discussion about the tenant's choice to stay in assisted living as long as they meet the criteria for the level of care; not forcing tenants to a higher level of care by unduly restrictive state regulations.
(Bills being introduced; to be discussed Monday, February 3 by administrative rules committee)

Public Policy Priorities
1. Support adequate funding of Medicaid and Hawk-I program. Appropriate sufficient resources for programs that provide services to the poor. (Awaiting Governor's Budget; HF 49 introduced)

2. Recognize ARNPs as Medicaid Primary Care Providers. Pass legislation that recognizes advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) as primary care providers under the Medicaid Managed Care Program which covers 85% of the Medicaid enrollees. (HF 60 introduced)

3. Medical Privacy: Pass legislation that modifies Iowa Code Section 622.10 to prohibit the release of medical records as "evidence". (Bill draft circulating)

Committee Assignments

House Appropriations: Assigned to Subcommittee:
HF 4 EARLY BLOCK GRANTS - Dix (C), Jenkins, Wise
HF 30 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TECHNOLOGY - Dix (C), Jenkins, Murphy
HF 44 SENIOR TRUST - Dix (C), Jenkins, Murphy
HF 47 POISON CONTROL CENTER - Dix (C), Jenkins, Murphy

House Commerce: Assigned to Subcommittee:
HF 29 MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE - Horbach, (C),Watts; Peterson
HF 63 MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE - Hansen (C), Osterhaus, Sands

House Human Resources: Assigned to Subcommittee:
HF 40 PERSONAL NEEDS ALLOWANCES - Heaton (C), Granzow, Osterhaus
HF 41 MEDICAL DISASTER LIABILITY - Boddicker (C), Heddens, Tymeson
HF 42 ADULT DAY CARE TASK FORCE - Upmeyer (C), Murphy, Tymeson
HF 45 PERSONAL NEEDS ALLOWANCES - Heaton (C), Granzow, Osterhaus
HF 49 HAWKI & MEDICAID CHANGES - Boddicker (C), Greimann, Heaton
HF 57 CLERGY CHILD ABUSE REPORTERS Boddicker (C), Roberts and Smith
HF 60 ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONERS Upmeyer (C), Boddicker and Wendt
HF 62 RETIREMENT HOME DISCLOSURES Granzow (C), Osterhaus, Upmeyer
HF 64 CHILD CUSTODY MATTERS Boddicker (C), Carroll, Foege

Senate Committee Reports

Senate Commerce: Assigned to Subcommittee:
SF 58 MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE - Angelo (C), Warnstadt, Wieck

Bills Introduced of Interest to Nursing

Find the bills at http://www.legis.state.ia.us
House Files
HF 49 HAWKI & MEDICAID CHANGES (B. Hansen & Greimann; Companion to SF 26) Cost Sharing: Strikes the requirement for cost sharing based on a sliding fee scale Benefits: Adds care coordination, dental services, mental health and substance abuse benefits, medically necessary nutrition services, physical and occupational therapy services, and case management for children with special health care needs. (Human Resources)

HF 60 ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONERS (Boddicker & Upmeyer) Lets advanced nurse practitioners be providers of health care services including primary care for medical assistance managed care or prepaid service contracts (Human Services)

HF 63 MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE (Jochum, et al.) Requires third-party health plans and HMOs' to provide mental health coverage including substance abuse. (Commerce)

HF 70 BIENNIAL APPROPRIATIONS (Eichhorn) Makes the appropriations process a biennial event beginning July, 1, 2005. (Appropriations)

HF 86 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RETIREES (Murphy; Companion to SF 54) Makes retirees' insurance benefits within the general topic of insurance as a mandatory subject of bargaining for public employees. (Commerce)

HF 87 SIGNING DEATH CERTIFICATES (Murphy) Allows for a Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner to sign a death certificate (State Government)

House Study Bills

HSB 30 PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS (Judiciary) Prohibits the disclosure of psychological test questions, answers, and instructions for taking a psychological test by a person in possession of such information to any other person. Allows the disclosure of raw psychological test scores, interpreting test score instructions, standardized test score interpretations, or a psychologist's interpretations of the test scores.
Heaton (C), Boal and Greimann

HSB 39 NONECONOMIC DAMAGES (Economic Growth) Limits noneconomic damages for injuries arising from personal injury or death claims including pain and suffering and punitive damages against a health care facility to $250,000. Kramer (C), S. Olson, Miller

Senate Files
SF 54 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RETIREES (Connolly) Makes retirees' insurance benefits within the general topic of insurance as a mandatory subject of bargaining for public employees. (State Government)

SF 58 MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE (Tinsman, Lundby, & Holveck) Requires group health insurance and HMOs to include coverage for biologically-based mental illness if the policy is issued to an employer employed more than 50 full-time employees for more than half the calendar year in the previous year. Makes other changes. (Commerce)

Senate Study Bills
SSB 1020 WORKERS COMP CHANGES I (Business & Labor) Requires employers to pay up to $7,500 for burial expenses of employees who die as a result of work related injuries. Requires the employee medical insurance to pay disputed worker comp claims until it is determined that the injuries where work related. Makes the employer's workers comp insurance carriers fully responsible if the employer is insolent or is discharged through bankruptcy and not withstanding deductible provisions. Seymour (C), Dotzler, McKibben

SSB 1021 WORKERS COMP CHANGES II (Business & Labor) Defines "day of incapacity to work" means eight hours of accumulated absence from work due to incapacity to work or due to the employee's receipt of medical services. Makes other changes. Seymour (C), Dotzler, Wieck

Senate Resolutions

NursingWorld     ANA Marketplace