12th Annual Patient Congress Highlights:
The 12th Annual Patient Congress was held on June 21-22, 2011. Attendees of the 12th Annual Patient Congress numbered over 174, came from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, completed 193 visits to Capitol Hill offices including 69 meetings with the House or Senate member. Our attendees visited all 100 Senatorial Offices and 93 House of Representatives Offices representing the voices of patients everywhere. The key points that attendees brought to Capitol Hill asking their elected officials to support were:
- Maintain Patient Protection Provisions in Affordable Care Act (ACA)
These provisions are:- Elimination of pre-existing conditions as barrier to coverage
- Elimination of annual and lifetime caps on insurance coverage
- Capping out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures (costs)
- Medicare Physician Reimbursement Impact on Patient Access
During the Capitol Hill Briefing located at the Washington Court Hotel, the attendees were educated by professional staff members from the Hill including Nick Bath, Majority Counsel, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for Chairman Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Kathryn Spangler, Senior Health Policy Advisor, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for Ranking Member Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY), Wendell Primus, Senior Policy Advisor for Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-8th), and Rodney Whitlock, Health Legislative Assistant to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). We were also honored to host Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Director of Coverage Policy, Office of Health Reform, with the United States Department of Health and Human Services and Dr. David Bowen, Deputy Director for Global Health Policy and Advocacy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who addressed our attendees about healthcare.
The "Town Hall" Dinner Symposium was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Washington Court Hotel. A major highlight of the symposium was the Featured Dinner Speaker, Elizabeth Cohen that shared highlights from her book "The Empowered Patient". Ms. Cohen is the Senior Medical Correspondent for CNN's Health, Medical, and Wellness Unit. She also graciously conducted a book signing of her book before the event. At the symposium, we also recognized the following; Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC-9th) as the 2011 Healthcare Hero Award Recipient, on behalf of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Mr. John Walter, President & CEO accepted the 2011 National Humanitarian Healthcare Award, and the 2011-2012 "Scholarship for Survivors" award recipients.
