Washington, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved H.R. 6, the 21^st Century Cures Act, by a vote of 344-77.  Congressman Loebsack, as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, was instrumental in the shaping of this bipartisan package.  The 21^st Century Cures Act is designed to encourage biomedical innovation and the development of new treatments and cures.

The bill provides for $8.75 billion in mandatory funding for NIH over the next five years, which is the most significant investment in biomedical research in over a decade.  It also promotes the maintenance of the best biomedical workforce in the world and supports young researchers through increased student loan repayment programs.  The 21^st Century Cures Act also modernizes clinical trials, encourages the development of next generation treatments and makes improvements to how FDA approves new drugs and devices.

Included in the legislation was Loebsack's provision to expand and extend the Medicare Prior Authorization Program for power mobility devices.  This demonstration program is already operating in 19 states and has demonstrated significant savings for the Medicare program while providing certainty to beneficiaries.

Congressman Loebsack delivered the following remarks on the House floor in support of this groundbreaking achievement:

"This legislation is proof that we can accomplish great things when we put aside partisanship and unite around a common goal.  To that end I want to thank all the wonderful colleagues here today who worked on this for so long.  I am new to the Committee and coming into this and being able to be a part of this is really a great honor for me.

"I want to thank the Chair and Ranking Member also for my provision to extend and expand the Prior Authorization Program for prior mobility devices in this bill, providing certainty to Medicare beneficiaries that these critical devices will in fact covered.

"I am also excited about the NIH Innovation fund, which entails mandatory funding and will support scientists like those working at the University of Iowa.  As a result, we will have more groundbreaking advances like the University of Iowa researchers' discovery of a biomarker that could lead to early detection for the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women, a discovery that could save countless lives. While I am disappointed that the NIH funding was cut from $10 to $8.75 billion, I am hopeful that we can restore this as the process moves forward.

"And finally, I am really happy that we have finally gotten to a point in this body where we can think long term.  Not just about the costs for this program for this year or even for the next five years, but we can also think about all the savings that this will entail down the road.  I thank my colleagues for their work on this issue. I am really pleased to be a part of the process."

Video of Loebsack's remarks can be found here.

Popular event partners senior living community with local wellness organizations

DAVENPORT, IA (July 8, 2015) - As part of an ongoing wellness initiative, Senior Star at Elmore Place is, once again, teaming up with several Quad City wellness partners to provide free health screenings for residents age 50-plus from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 23 in its Independent living building at 4502 Elmore Avenue, Davenport.

Following the success of last year's inaugural health fair, Senior Star is thrilled to be able to offer this event for a second time featuring tests and information booths that include :

·       Information by Genesis Health Systems

·       Information by the American Heart Association

·       Hearing aide checks by Parker Audiology

·       Blood pressure checks and balance checks by Gentiva

·       Grip testing by Manor Care

·       Blood glucose, body composition and blood pressure tests by Walgreens

·       Nutrition information and samples by Hy-Vee

·       Spinal screening by Nelson Chiropractic

·       Tours and information about retirement living by Senior Star at Elmore Place

With their proactive initiative to helping meet residents' health and safety needs, Senior Star continues to offer meaningful and innovative resources ... not only affecting their residents and families but also reaching the Greater Quad Cities community.  "We are pleased to be able to provide these free screenings from such high-quality health partners in the Greater Quad Cities community to our neighbors age 50 and above," said Marc Strohschein, executive director of Senior Star at Elmore Place.  "Focusing on living well is an essential aspect of our philosophy so being able to share these important health resources will benefit many people."

In addition to the health services, the event will also include several door prizes and light refreshments.

All tests and screenings are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.  Those attending who would like to donate blood can also make a contribution through Mississippi Valley Blood.

For more details, call Senior Star at Elmore Place at 563.359.0100 or visit the website at www.seniorstar.com.

About Senior Star at Elmore Place

Senior Star at Elmore Place, a Senior Star community, features 236 modernly decorated apartments spanning across 20 acres of beautifully landscaped property with many customized amenities to offer its residents three distinctive living experiences:  independent living, assisted living and memory care.  For more information, visit www.seniorstar.com.

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(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Congressmen Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD, (R-LA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) introduced bipartisan companion language in the House (H.R. 2911) and Senate (S. 1697) known as the Small Business Healthcare Relief Act to roll back existing Treasury Department guidance issued under the authority of the Affordable Care Act prohibiting the use of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). Boustany and Thompson introduced the legislation last Congress.

On September 13, 2013, Treasury issued guidance disallowing employers from using stand-alone HRAs to reimburse employees for healthcare-related expenses, stating these arrangements did not satisfy the Affordable Care Act's minimum benefit and annual dollar cap requirements for health insurance plans offered by employers. As a result, employers that continue to offer HRAs would be subject to a $100 per day per employee penalty, totaling up to $36,500 over the course of the year. After Boustany questioned Secretary Jack Lew on this issue in a Ways & Means hearing on February 3, 2015, Treasury announced on February 18 that it would delay enforcement of this guidance and resulting penalties until July 1, 2015.

Grassley, Heitkamp, Boustany, and Thompson's legislation restores flexibility and choice into the marketplace by:

Ø  Ensuring that small businesses and local municipalities with fewer than 50 employees are allowed to continue using pre-tax dollars to give employees a defined contribution for healthcare expenses

Ø  Allowing employees to use HRA funds to purchase health coverage on the individual market, as well as for qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses if the employee has qualified health coverage

Ø  Protecting employers from being financially penalized for providing this cost-sharing option to employees

Grassley said: "I've heard from farmers, small business owners and accountants who are worried about getting hit with a penalty for something they've done for a long time without any controversy. It doesn't make sense to tell small employers they can't help their employees get health insurance. Why disrupt something that worked? Our bill puts this provision back to what it was so farmers and small businesses can use this option as they see fit."

Heitkamp said: "Our bipartisan bill would make a needed fix to restore the ability for small businesses, which sometimes can't afford to provide health benefits? for employees, to help their workers purchase coverage using HRAs. That just makes sense. I have long said some parts of the health care reform law work, but we need to improve the pieces that should work better for families and small businesses - and this bill continues those efforts."

Boustany said: "Restoring choice and affordability in the healthcare marketplace is the key to driving down costs and improving accessibility for consumers. Using Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangements is a creative approach that allows employees to select healthcare plans that are best tailored to fit their needs. Our common-sense bipartisan legislation frees employers to provide their employees with options that will put the individual in charge."

Thompson said: "This common-sense, bipartisan bill is about choice and affordability. It will allow small businesses to offer Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangements to their workers so they can choose a quality, affordable health insurance plan that fits their individual budget and healthcare needs."

Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said: "The U.S. Chamber has long supported flexibility in benefit offerings, including the ability to offer stand-alone HRAs to help employees pay for health care coverage and services. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation marks an important first step in returning flexibility and choice to all businesses and their employees, and if enacted, would restore appropriate common-sense options to small business and their employees."

Tom Woods, Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Blue Springs, MO, said: "This common-sense legislation is particularly important for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Even though these employers cannot offer a health insurance plan due to prohibitive costs, they would still be able to help make healthcare more affordable for their workers. We urge Congress to swiftly pass this bipartisan legislation so that more employers can help their workers meet the high cost of medical premiums or out-of-pocket expenses."

Kevin Kuhlman, Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Federation of Independence Business (NFIB), said: "If there's an opportunity for a bipartisan improvement toward affordable healthcare, this has to be it. There's no real justification for penalizing small businesses that do what the law's strongest supporters claim to want, which is to help employees obtain coverage or pay medical bills.  This is a rigid and thoughtless bureaucratic rule that undermines the purpose of the law, and it ought to be repealed immediately."

Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), said: "Farmers regularly take on the roles of CEO, CFO, and HR director, in addition to caring for their land and animals. This legislation would give farm and ranch businesses, which are largely family-run, the flexibility they need to offer health care benefits in a way that makes the most sense for their employees and their businesses."

Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg, Vice President of Government Relations & Public Affairs for the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) said: "We applaud the introduction of the Small Business Healthcare Relief Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation championed by Reps. Charles Boustany (R-La.) and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), as a common-sense solution to ensuring America's smallest businesses with fewer than 50 employees have access to Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs)."

Joel White, President of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC), a multi-stakeholder advocacy alliance, said: "The IRS has issued a rule that penalizes small employers for doing the right thing - providing help to employees. Employers are struggling with how to maintain employee health benefits in the current costly, burdensome, and uncertain environment. This legislation takes a good first step in addressing the negative consequences of the rule.  Employers shouldn't be penalized for helping employees better afford their coverage. Congress needs to pass this bill as quickly as possible."

Chris Byrd, Executive Vice President of healthcare software and payment solutions company Evolution1, a WEX company, said: "We are delighted bipartisan legislation has been introduced to permit small businesses to assist their employees with health insurance and out-of-pocket costs without being subject to egregious penalties of $36,500 per employee."

Supporters of the legislation include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association for Towns and Townships, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the National Federation of Business (NFIB), the Small Business Majority, the National Association for the Self Employed (NASE), the Coalition for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC), the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), and the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Rock Island, IL - Some community heroes  don't wear capes - they give life-saving blood. As part of its summer "Every Hero Has a Story" activities, the Rock Island Public Library will host a community blood drive from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, July 15 at the downtown Main Library, 401 19th Street. Donors will give blood in the MVRBC Donor Bus in the library parking lot off 20th Street.

The rate of blood donation typically drops by about 20 percent in summer months, according to the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center.

What: Rock Island Public Library Community Blood Drive

When: Wednesday, July 15, 10:00 am - 1:30 pm

Where: MVRBC Donor Bus, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th St., Rock Island, IL

Appointments: To donate, please contact Amy Sisul at (309) 732-7302 or visit www.bloodcenterimpact.org and use code 3013 to locate the drive.

Donor Eligibility Criteria: Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo ID or MVRBC Donor Card is required to donate. For questions about eligibility, please call the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center at (800)747-5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 5/20/15 are eligible to give at this drive.

About Blood Donation: Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes about 45 minutes to one hour. Individuals with diabetes or controlled high blood pressure may be accepted as eligible donors.

Donors at the Rock Island Library site will be automatically entered into a drawing from the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center for a 2015 Jeep Patriot. The drawing is part of the center's "Made in the USA" promotion to support the blood supply through the difficult summer months. The 2015 Jeep Patriot, provided with support from Ron's Toy Box (www.ronstoybox.com), is a small SUV, dark navy in color with air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, remote power locks and other features. The Blood Center will select a winner from everyone who registers to give blood at our Donor Centers and mobile blood drives until September 5. To learn more, visit www.bloodcenter.org/win.

ABOUT MVRBC: Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is the provider of blood and blood components to more than 90 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. Locally, MVRBC is the exclusive provider to Genesis Health System, Select Specialty Hospital and UnityPoint Health - Quad Cities.

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