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National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference
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By John Early, MD
President, Texas Orthopaedic Association
Approximately 15 members of
the Texas Orthopaedic Association will attend the
National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference this week in
Washington DC.
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The Texas Delegation will join the
leadership of the AAOS Board of Councilors (BOC), the Board of
Specialty Societies (BOS) and the Board of Directors, in conjunction
with the Council on Advocacy, will discuss at least two issues with
Members of Congress at the NOLC.
1. The AAOS will weigh in on health care reform. The message will
focus on many important aspects of ensuring access to specialty care
in any health care reform proposal.
2. We will request Members of Congress to cosponsor the AAOS Bill
(Access to America's Orthopaedic Services Act). This year, the bill
has already been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as
H.R. 1021. It will soon be introduced in the U.S. Senate. This is a
very specific orthopaedic bill to address musculoskeletal diseases
and conditions in the United States, including such issues as aging,
pediatrics, and trauma.
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Texas District By District: John Davis
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In November 1998, John E. Davis was elected to the Texas
Legislature to represent House District 129. Representative Davis
currently serves as a member of the House Committee on Public Health
and as a member of the House Committee on County Affairs. His
previous committee appointments include: Chair for the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Chairman
of Budget and Oversight for the House Human Services Committee,
membership on the Medicaid Reform Legislative Oversight Committee,
and Vice Chair of the House |
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Committee on Hurricane Ike Devastation.
A native of Houston and a fifth generation Texan, Rep.
Davis graduated from Baylor University in 1982 and from the
University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1987. He is the past President
of Oates Industries, an industrial roofing company; he now serves as
an independent manufacturer representative for RPM, a roof and wall
restoration company.
An active member of the community, Rep. Davis belongs to
the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Pasadena Rotary Club,
University Baptist Church in Clear Lake, and the Pasadena Salvation
Army Advisory Board. His legislative efforts include working with
NASA Johnson Space Center on the Texas Aerospace Scholars' Program
along with the Technology Outreach Program. As a result of past and
present work with various advocacy groups, during the 80th
Legislative Session Rep. Davis was awarded the "Legislative
Excellence Award" by the Brain Injury Association of Texas and the
"Award for Public Service" by the Texas Osteopathic Medical
Association.
John married Jayne Anne in 1984. Mrs. Davis is also a
graduate of Baylor University. She is a former elementary school
teacher for Clear Creek ISD. Mrs. Davis grew up in Tampico, Mexico
and is fluent in Spanish. John, having traveled throughout Mexico
and Central and South America, is conversational in Spanish. The
Davises have three sons: Reagan, Samuel, and Gaston.
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This Week In Texas: Mignon
McGarry Memos
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By Mignon McGarry
TOA Legislative Advocate
TOA Online Version: All Memos
April 22, 2009, Wednesday
With 40 days left in the 81st
Regular Session, the focus begins to move from committee action to
floor debate in both the Senate and the
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House. The House has a larger
than usual number of bills pending in the House Calendars
Committee awaiting placement on a calendar. As of today,
there are 477 bills in House Calendars Committee. There are
another 257 bills in the House Local and Consent Calendars
Committee. These numbers will continue to grow as
committees continue their work. Over on the Senate side,
members are allowed to place up to three bills on the
Senate's Notice of Intent Calendar. The Lt. Governor, as
authorized by Senate Rules, then selects which bills will be
heard on a particular day. Senators must demonstrate that
they have the votes to pass a bill before it is called up.
The big news last week was the House passing a budget for the
2010-2011 biennium after a debate that lasted all day Friday and
into the wee hours of Saturday morning. The House approved a budget
totaling $178.4 billion, $4 billion less than the budget approved by
the Senate. Senate Bill 1 now moves to a conference committee of
five members of the Senate and five members of the House to work out
the differences. The House also passed a supplemental
appropriations bill which included $3.3 billion in funds to
supplement current appropriations. Included in this sum is $300,000
to help rebuild UTMB in Galveston.
The argument over stimulus funds continued this week as the Senate
passed a bill that would change the state's Unemployment Insurance
program in order to attract $556 million in federal stimulus funds.
Governor Rick Perry is on record opposing any such changes. Senate
Bill 1569 by Sen. Kevin Eltife
(R-Tyler) now heads to the House.
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AAOS Advocacy Now - Congress Returns From
Recess And Continues Health Care Reform Dialogue
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After a two week
break, Congressional members returned to Washington, DC with several
members continuing to press forward with health care reform
discussions in an attempt to get legislative language prepared for
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On Tuesday, April 21, the Senate
Finance Committee held a health care reform roundtable focusing on the
delivery aspects of health care reform. The roundtable discussion
focused on the physician workforce shortage and pipeline as well as what
the committee refers to as the potential for innovative payment
formulas, such as aligning and incentivizing care integration. The
surgical community was represented by Dr. Frank Opelka from the American
College of Surgeons. Other attendees include representatives from the
American College of Physicians, Geisinger Health System, Medicare
Payment Advisory Commission, United States Office of the Inspector
General, Brookings Institute, and several health plans.
At the end of the roundtable, Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) stated that the
Senate Finance Committee will hold a "walk through" on health care
delivery next week. The "walk through" will consist of the committee
discussing the necessary components to reform the delivery system.
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