News You Can Use
ENA Opposes Cuts to Medicaid in Letter to Congressional Leaders
On Feb. 25, the House approved a budget blueprint that includes $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years. The Energy & Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care programs, is being directed to find $880 billion of that total and it is expected that much of those savings will come from the Medicaid program.
Reimbursements through Medicaid are a critical source of payments to hospital emergency departments, providing coverage for nearly 45 percent of all ED visits. For children, Medicaid covers about 63 percent of all ED visits. In October 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that 79.3 million beneficiaries depend on the program for their health insurance.
ENA strongly opposes cuts to the Medicaid program as a critical source of coverage for tens of millions of vulnerable Americans and a vital funding source for the nation’s emergency departments. Without Medicaid, hospitals, especially those providing care in rural areas, would be in jeopardy. In a recent letter sent to congressional leadership in the House and Senate, ENA President Ryan Oglesby expressed his strong opposition to these proposed cuts to this critical program and implored lawmakers in Congress to reject them.
Workplace Violence Priority Legislation Reintroduced in House and Senate
On April 1, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., reintroduced the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act for the 119th Congress. The bill represents a top ENA priority to address alarming levels of workplace violence in hospitals across the country.
If enacted, the Department of Labor, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would issue a national standard related to workplace violence in health care and social service settings that would result in hospitals developing and implementing workplace violence prevention plans. These plans, when appropriately implemented, have been shown to reduce the severity of workplace violence incidents, enhance nurses’ ability to cope and even reduce the incidence of workplace violence.
Bill to Continue Military-Civilian Trauma Partnerships Reintroduced
On March 27, Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., and Richard Hudson, R-N.C., reintroduced legislation to reauthorize the MISSION Zero military/civilian partnership program which allows military trauma teams to embed in civilian trauma centers. The goal of the program is to provide opportunities for military trauma teams to keep their skills sharp, as military base hospitals tend not to see the volume of traumatic injuries that a civilian hospital experiences. It also allows combat trauma teams who have learned specialized and innovative techniques to treat battlefield injuries like gunshots and penetrating wounds to transfer this knowledge to their civilian counterparts. Originally enacted in 2019, the MISSION Zero program supported 30 grant awards for $4 million in 2024.
Final Preparations Underway for ENA Day on the Hill
Day on the Hill is just around the corner, and as ENA prepares for members to arrive in Washington, D.C., the Government Relations Team wanted to inform you about this year’s legislative priorities and how you can learn more about them to inform your efforts.
This year, ENA is meeting with members of the House and Senate to ask for their support in reauthorizing the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which provides direct support and training to combat mental health struggles among health care workers. This program has already provided more than $100 million to support these workers, and ENA is looking to extend that program by an additional five years. The other bill addresses the rise in workplace violence seen in emergency departments across the country. The Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act would make it a federal crime to assault or otherwise interfere with health care workers while they are working.
You can learn more about these bills during a webinar on April 16, when we will walk through both bills, as well as our arguments for advocating for their enactment. Register below, even if you are not able to attend Day on the Hill.
ENA Council Leaders: Got a State Bill to Track?
Contact ENA Government Relations and let us know the bill number - gov@ena.org
|
|
|
