Brain Injury Law Blog : Head Injury : Coma : Personal Injury : Las Vegas Nevada Lawyer & Attorney Tim Titolo

Brain Injury Conferences and Events in 2011

For those of us interested in upcoming truamatic brain injury conferences, I obtained this information.

• Brain Injury Association of America

The Brain Injury Association of America launches its new web site at http://www.biausa.org/. Check out the latest information on developments and advancements in the brain injury field.

Visit the site today to find information on available support services, upcoming training and education opportunities, participate in new online forums and much more!

• International Brain Injury Association

The International Brain Injury Association is pleased to announce that the Ninth World Congress on Brain Injury will be held March 21-25, 2012, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

•  Interagency Conference on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The Third Interagency Conference on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) will be held on June 13-15, 2011, in Washington DC at the Washington Hilton.

The first Federal Interagency Conference was held in 1999, and the second in 2006. Attendance at these conferences far exceeded expectations of the planning committee and was way beyond the capacity of the hotel. Feedback from attendees indicated that the conferences were highly successful educational events for the attendees and many requested that the conference continue to be offered in the future. As a result of this enthusiasm, the continued focus of TBI in the media and the need for researchers, clinicians and policy makers to “get out” the “latest and greatest” advances in TBI research and clinical care, a third conference is to be sponsored by a consortium of Federal Agencies. For the first time, this consortium brings together civilian and military research efforts.

Click here for more Brain Injury related conferences and events.

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Here is the latest from Sarah D'Orsie at the Brain Injury Association of America

Health Care Reform Update

This week, The Senate released and began debate on their Health Care Reform leadership measure. As many of you may know, originally, rehabilitation was not included in the Senate Finance bill as a minimum benefit. Due to the lobbying efforts of BIAA, largely supported and funded by our Business and Professional Council, we have been able to ensure that rehabilitation is a part of the minimum benefits package of the final product now being debated in the Senate.

Specifically, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act being considered would:
(Democratic leadership summary)

- Include immediate changes to the way health insurance companies do business to protect consumers from discriminatory practices and provide Americans with better preventive coverage and the information they need to make informed decisions about their health insurance.

-Uninsured Americans with a pre-existing condition will have access to an immediate insurance program to help them avoid medical bankruptcy and retirees will have greater certainty due to reinsurance provisions to help maintain coverage.

-New health insurance Exchanges will make coverage affordable and accessible for individuals and small businesses.

-Insurance companies will be barred from discriminating based on pre-existing conditions, health status, and gender.

-Expand eligibility for Medicaid to include all non-elderly Americans with income below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), with substantial assistance to States for the cost of covering these individuals.

- Make long-term supports and services more affordable for millions of Americans by providing a lifetime cash benefit that will help people with severe disabilities remain in their homes and communities.

- Eliminate lifetime insurance limits in all new individual and group plans for plan years beginning 6 months after enactment.

Today, as the Senate opened a two-day debate on the bill, Congressional Quarterly reported that Majority Leader, Harry Reid is closing in on the 60 votes needed to overcome an anticipated filibuster and bring the measure to the floor. Reid has filed cloture the bill and the vote on the motion to proceed to the bill is expected to occur on Saturday at 8:00 pm.

BIAA will continue to monitor the bill's progress closely as debate continues. Also, documents relating to the Senate leadership bill can be found on BIAA's website under the Health Care Reform Library section:

http://www.biausa.org/policyissues.htm#library
 

Veteran's Health Omnibus Bill

On Thursday, November 19, 2009, The Senate voted to pass a package of veteran's bills (S1963) that included both S. 801 and S. 252, both important Veteran's health care measures supported by BIAA.

The bill would expand services in rural areas and ensure that veterans who are catastrophically disabled or who need emergency care in the community are not charged for those services. It would also authorize VA hospitals to contract with non-VA providers to ensure that our returning service members have access to the care that they so desperately need and deserve.
 

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Here are the latest updates from the Brain Injury Association of America.

Health Care Reform Update

This week the Senate finance committee wrapped up debate on its version of a health care reform package.  The committee now has finished debating the more than one hundred amendments offered to the bill.  A final vote is possible next week, although the finance committee cautiously waits to hear the cost estimate of the measure from the congressional budget office.

BIAA will continue to monitor the situation as the legislation progresses.

Appropriations Update

Last week, Congress considered a measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), that would keep the government funded into the 2010 fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2009.  TBI related programs will be funded at FY2009 levels until the spending bills for next year have been approved.

The full Senate has yet to consider the Fiscal Year 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill that will provide the funding allocation for programs authorized through the TBI Act and for NIDRR's TBI-related research programs, including TBI Model Systems of Care.

BIAA will alert grassroots advocates when action is needed.

National Defense Authorization Update

As reported in a previous edition of Policy Corner, the Senate version of this year's National Defense Authorization bill includes an amendment that authorizes the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program for providing cognitive rehabilitation therapy services under TRICARE. 

As the House and Senate meet to debate the differences in the two versions in order to craft a final bill, BIAA has increased awareness among House members serving on the Armed Services Committee of the amendment and its importance to returning service members sufferring from TBI.

This week, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. and Congressman Todd Platts, co-chairs of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, sent a letter to members of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committee members urging their support in preserving this amendment in the final bill.  A copy of the letter can be viewed on our web site, or by clicking the link below:

http://www.biausa.org/elements/policy/cognitive_rehabilitation_ndaa_letter.pdf

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