The Power of A

How is your association forming partnerships to improve society?

Part of the power of associations and the good they do for society is found in their partnerships with other organizations to create programs to help a needy segment of the population.  ASAE & The Center on January 21 will be providing an opportunity for associations to form these partnerships when it hosts it first Volunteer Fair from 11 AM - 1 PM in the ASAE & The Center Conference Center.

The fair is open to association executives and will provide them with the opportunity to meet with various organizations in order to see if the association can partner in an existing program beneficial to the community.  The benefit is not only to the association, which shows it dedication to a better society, but also to staff and volunteers as it creates an opportunity for team building and leadership training.

Some of the organizations that will be participating include Disney, the American Heart Association, Volunteers of America, Volunteer Alexandria, Meals on Wheels, the Urban Alliance, and more.  The event is free for ASAE & The Center members, and is a collaboration between the GW Network, Nonprofit Programs and the ASAE staff’s Community Outreach Team (COT).

For more information and to register, click here.

Quick Hits

The House and Senate will begin reconciling their health care legislation not through a formal conference, but by amending the two bills they passed last year.  To see a comparison of the two bills, see the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation chart.  The House Democrats have also listed the major differences between the two bills… ASAE & The Center CEO John Graham recently penned an entry for the National Journal’s Under the Influence blog on his submission for the best advocacy campaign of 2009.  Read the entry here.

Recently, Volunteers of America President Charles W. Gould stopped by the ASAE offices to discuss the health care debate and how Volunteers of America is participating in the Power of A message.  Earlier this month, he penned a guest post on an important Volunteers of America health care program.  ASAE will continue its video interviews on this site to bring first-person accounts of how different associations and nonprofits are advancing America.

Quick Hits

Some trade associations dispatch members (subscription) to particpate in town hall meetings… Some Senate Democrats want to push a health care bill from Finance Committee regardless of deals… President holds a working lunch with the Democratic caucus.

Comprehensive health care reform, if enacted, will impact every aspect of American society.  For many associations, the impact will be more direct; as the debate progresses many medical, business, and consumer associations are working to ensure their voice is heard during the discussion.

The American Medical Association (AMA), the association for American doctors, yesterday issued a press release endorsing the House comprehensive health care bill, HR 3200 “America’s Affordable Health Care Choices”.  “The status quo is unacceptable,” said J. James Rohack, MD, president of AMA. “We support passage of H.R. 3200, and we look forward to additional constructive dialogue as the long process of passing a health reform bill continues.”  AMA’s annual meeting last month included a nationally-televised address by President Barack Obama thanking the medical community for its work on health care legislation and pledging to work with them on pressing issues, including medical liability reform.

On the insurance side of the debate, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a national association representing nearly 1,300 members providing health benefits to more than 200 million Americans, is voicing concerns from an insurance perspective.  Politico reported this morning that the association will begin an advertising campaign next week to “set the record straight about the industry’s support for reform and make sure the American people understand that there is a path to reform that does not include a government-run plan.”  AHIP was the organization in the 1990s that ran the “Harry and Louise” ads credited with helping defeat the Clinton health care proposal.

The actors portraying Harry and Louise will be reappearing on television next week, but it was announced yesterday that their new ads would be in support of the Senate HELP Committee bill.  The National Journal reported that yesterday the actors appeared at a press conference supporting the bill and their new ads, sponsored in part by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, will begin running this weekend.  The actors have appeared in ads in the past year sponsored by the American Hospital Association, Catholic Health Association, and National Federation of Independent Business on various health care issues.

Many associations, such as Volunteers of America, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and numerous beverage associations, are providing their members’ valuable perspectives to the health care debate.  How is your association contributing to the health care reform debate?

Quick Hits (Senate)

The Senate Finance Committee failed to release a draft of their bill yesterday, but members are continuing to work out their disagreements over the weekend… CBO Director Elmendorf testified before the Budget Committee that the proposed health care legislation would not provide the promised long-term federal budget savings….will Elmendorf’s testimony kill health care reform?… Is the White House putting too much pressure on the Finance Committee?

Quick Hits (House)

The House Ways and Means Committee voted HR 3200 out of their committee a little after midnight last night.  Three Democrats voted with all committee Republicans against the bill… The Education and Labor Committee debated and adopted some amendments to HR 3200: expanding the definition of small business who can enter the exchange, including infant-care in the basic benefits package, and changing the deadline for prohibiting preexisting conditions to six months after the bill’s enactment.  The bill was passed this morning on a 26-22 vote.

ASAE is pleased to share an opinion piece from Mr. Chuck Gould of Volunteers of America.

With Congress now focused on health care reform, we need to urge legislators to include long-term care as part of any reform proposal. For vulnerable people, such as those with disabilities and chronically ill seniors, these services are critical to promoting health and preventing illness.

Earlier this month, Volunteers of America hosted a panel discussion at the National Press Club on the future of senior care in America. Two of the nation’s leading health care reform advocates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, were joined by Volunteers of America National President Charles W. Gould and cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson. The panel was moderated by Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile.  The discussion explored the health care and other needs our nation faces as Baby Boomers grow older in record numbers. The panel also focused on many of the issues included as part of the current health care reform debate in Congress.

In preparation for the upcoming and unprecedented growth in the senior population, Volunteers of America has made a strategic decision to focus more directly on the needs of older people and those who support them. Called Aging with Options^TM, this initiative aims to transform the current senior care system by providing people with guidance and control over their care, and allow older Americans the freedom to receive care while living longer in their own homes.

As Congress debates its proposals for health care reform, we need to make sure long-term care is on the table and any proposal includes the following six elements:

- Coverage that is available to everyone, including seniors, those with disabilities, and anyone who might be excluded from private coverage. These might include people with family histories of certain chronic medical conditions.

- Consumer choices that include home and community-based services.

- A sound fiscal model that relieves pressure on Medicaid and in turn helps prevent states from cutting these necessary services.

- Coordination of care, so that all doctors and caregivers working with a patient are talking to each other. This can be done through programs such as the highly successful PACE (Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) program.

- A person-centered approach, promoting increased access to information and benefits.

- Adequately paid and high-quality care workers, promoting not only better care but also job growth.

Charles W. Gould
President, Volunteers of America