As POA president,
I feel it’s my duty to keep the membership informed of our legislative efforts
both at the state level and at the national level. Let me start with Pennsylvania.
The legislative session in PA runs two years with the current session scheduled
to end on November 30, 2016. The PA state legislature is the second largest
state legislature in the nation and the largest full-time legislature. Just as
a frame of reference, 3,998 bills were introduced in the House and Senate
during the 2013-14 session. Of those bills that were introduced, 369 bills
became law, or 9.2 percent.
Here is
what’s happening in PA:
Senate Bill 1012 is the “scope modification bill” introduced
by Senator John Gordner. This bill is currently sitting with the Consumer
Protection and Professional Licensure Committee. The co-sponsors for this bill
are Senators White, Baker, Scarnati, Hutchinson, Bartollota, Yudichak, Stefano,
Wozniak, Rafferty, Folmer, Pileggi, and Teplitz.
Key components of the bill include:
- revising the therapeutic drug
approval process to eliminate the Secretary of Health approval;
- eliminating the six-week
restriction on therapeutic drug usage; and
- allowing optometrists to do injections for anaphylaxis, a potentially life-saving procedure.
Senate Bill 978 is the “third party bill” that was
introduced by Senator Kim Ward and is currently sitting in the Senate Banking
and Insurance Committee. The co-sponsors for this bill are Senators Scarnati,
Folmer, Rafferty, Gordner, Teplitz, Vogel, Boscola, McGarrigle, Yudichak,
Brooks, Hutchinson, Sabatina, Wozniak, Stefano, White, Schwank, Leach,
McIlhinney, and Corman.
Key
components of the bill include:
- allowing providers to use the
lab of their choice to fabricate eyewear;
- allowing providers to
participate with a medical plan without being required to participate in
the associated vision plan;
- eliminating mandatory discounts
on non-covered services and materials; and
- making vision plans obtain
written consent from the provider before any changes may occur to the
terms of a provider contract.
Again, if
you personally know any of the above legislators, please contact the POA.
House Bill 1779, otherwise known as the “handicapped
placard bill,” was introduced by Representative James Marshall. This bill would
add optometrists to the list of providers who can certify that a person is
disabled so that a disability parking placard may be issued. This bill is
currently residing with the Transportation Committee and has 21 co-sponsors.
On the
national level I would like to highlight two very important bills.
Senator Bill
Cassidy (R-LA), who happens to be an internist, has introduced the AOA-backed Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection Act
(S. 2777) to crack down on unscrupulous Internet-based contact lens sellers
that are placing contact lens wearers at risk by selling without proper
verification of prescriptions, by overfilling orders, by filling orders with
expired prescriptions, or by filling orders with lenses other than those that
were prescribed.
Here is a
link to the AOA Legislative Action Center where you can read more about this
bill and take action by sending an email to your legislator: http://tinyurl.com/aoa2777
H.R.
3323, The Dental and Optometric Care Access Act, also known as the DOC Access Act, is the
AOA and American Dental Association-backed legislation that seeks to outlaw
anti-patient and anti-doctor policies by Employment Retirement Income Security
Act (ERISA) and other federally-regulated vision and health plans, including
restrictions on medical plan participation, limits on doctors’ choice of labs,
and mandates on non-covered services and materials.
H.R. 3323
would, among other safeguards, prohibit plans from forcing discounts on
non-covered services and materials; prohibits forcing doctors to participate in
a vision plan as a condition for participation in a medical plan; and prohibits
restrictions on a doctor's choice of lab.
The DOC
Access Act specifically targets insurers and plans that are regulated on a
federal level and often are beyond the reach of state law, such as those
organized under the ERISA. As such, the AOA is urging states to continue to
advance state-level fixes to plans regulated on the state level.
Here is a
link to the AOA Legislative Action Center where you can read more and take
action: http://tinyurl.com/aoa3323
Finally, I
would like to thank all those who came to the POA Congress in Camp Hill to
support our profession. Those who attended enjoyed top-notch education, an
exhibit hall with 30 vendors, the House of Delegates, the POA Awards ceremony,
an inspirational appearance by actor/singer Tom Sullivan, the President’s Reception
with yours truly and the Andy Mowatt quartet, and Saturday evening at Penn
National Race Course and the Hollywood Casino!
For a little
taste of the fun that was had here is a link to my performance with the Andy
Mowatt Quartet: https://youtu.be/c8CRADPuerE
Have a great
summer everyone,
Mark M. Margolies, O.D.
