ANA-Supported Issues Victorious in Year-End Congressional Sprint

  

Good things come to those who waitat least, it could be said for the 114th Congress.

On December 7th, the Senate passed a package of important health policy advancements aimed at encouraging health care innovation, improving mental health service coverage, expanding opioid treatment programs, and investing in medical research. The package of bills now moves to the President’s desk for his signature. Throughout the year, ANA advocated strongly for many of the key policy victories contained in last night’s vote, including:

  • The ‘21st Century Cures Act’ seeks to make the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for new drugs more efficient and invests $4.8 billion in new medical research at the National Institutes of Health
  • Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act,” H.R. 2646, and the Mental Health Reform Act, S. 2680, – represents comprehensive reforms to mental-health programs at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Funding for Cancer Research: provides funding for $1.8b for Vice President Joe Biden’s “cancer moonshot” program.
  • Fighting the Opioid Epidemic: Provides $1 billion over two years to fight the opioid epidemic. ANA worked closely with Congress and the White House throughout the year to pass legislation and secure enough funding to ensure greater access to treatment services.

ANA Outreach to President-Elect Donald Trump Transition Team

  

In anticipation of early action on health system reform, ANA initiated its first official outreach to the incoming Administration. The letter outlines, to President-elect Trump’s transition team, ANA’s principals for any undertaking that would seek to transform our current health system

Highlights from the Letter:

For decades, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has advocated for health care system reforms that would guarantee access to high-quality, affordable health care for all. ANA is calling on you and your administration to prioritize the health of the nation, which is foundational to progress and economic growth. We are pleased to share our principles for health system transformation.

ANA’s Principles for Health System Transformation

  • Ensure universal access to a standard package of essential health care services for all citizens and residents.
  • Optimize primary, community-based and preventive services while supporting the cost-effective use of innovative, technology-driven, acute, hospital-based services.
  • Encourage mechanisms to stimulate economical use of health care services while supporting those who do not have the means to share in costs.
  • Ensure a sufficient supply of a skilled workforce dedicated to providing high quality health care services.

Read the full letter here.

If you have not already, be sure to subscribe to our RN Action email alerts (RNaction.org) and follow ANA Government Affairs on Facebook (RN Action) and Twitter (@RNAction).

Election 2016

  

After a historic election season that never ceased to deliver jaw dropping sound bites, endless material for late night television and new political terms like “scorched earth campaign” we finally reached a conclusion to what seemed like a never ending election season: The citizens of the United States of America turned out at the polls and Donald Trump is now the next President of the United States.

President-Elect Donald Trump’s message to working class voters resonated: Voters turned out “bigly” and put him over the edge in the key swing states of Florida, Ohio, and North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin – which haven’t voted for a GOP candidate since the 80s.

The Presidential headlines dominated the airwaves but Election 2016 also elected a new Congress (the 115th to be exact). The American Nurses Association Political Action Committee (ANA-PAC) officially endorsed 52 federal candidates for the 2016 cycle. All endorsed candidates went through a rigorous review process so that only the most deserving of candidates received ANA’s seal of approval. Of these 52 candidates, 83% won their election.

These candidates span different states, backgrounds, and political parties while sharing a steadfast commitment to serve the nursing community and uphold ANA’s principles. They will be our champions in Washington, and will support legislation that supports both patients and providers.

Check out the full list of candidates here.