Health and Human Services (HHS) Policy Committee

A RESOLUTION TO STAND SUPPORT OF DENTAL SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS (“DSOS”)

WHEREAS, dental support organizations (DSOs) contract with dental practices to provide critical business management and support including non-clinical operations;

WHEREAS, DSOs provide dental services to traditionally under-served populations and locations, including, approximately 15 percent of children’s services in the United States;

WHEREAS, 47 percent of the patients in underserved communities served by the largest national DSO are African American and DSOs serve 20-25 percent of the Medicaid patients in some states;

WHEREAS, DSOs increase operational efficiency and lower dental care costs, allowing dental service providers to increase acceptance of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) beneficiaries;

WHEREAS, health policy analysis completed by Dobson DaVanzo & Associates found that expansion of the DSO model in select states could generate savings sufficient to provide dental care to an additional 1.9 million Medicaid patients;

WHEREAS, DSOs play a pivotal role in ensuring a “culture of compliance” in the dental industry through the creation and implementation of standardized quality control policies and procedures;

WHEREAS, DSOs allow dental service providers to provide better dental care by increasing their ability focus on clinical expertise through their affiliation with professional organizations designed to assist them in meeting non-clinical responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators has been committed to improving oral health care as stated in HHS-15-24 “A Resolution Expanding Access to Oral Health Care.”

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) stands up and supports DSOs and their mission to provide affordable, quality dental services to all populations;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL encourages federal and state policymakers to utilize the efficiencies and capabilities of DSOs to address oral health outcomes and drive new payment and evidence based treatment protocols;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL encourages the resistance of anticompetitive policies that stifle the growth of the DSO industry and patient access to the benefits they provide, including the recognition of the division of clinical and nonclinical responsibilities and limiting overreaching regulation by state licensure boards;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL encourages representation of DSO affiliated dentists on state dental licensure boards to offer their unique perspective and experience to state licensure policy and disciplinary deliberations;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL encourages eligibility for loan forgiveness programs for DSO dentists who serve in low-income and under-served areas; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR: Senator Joan Carter Conway (MD)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Health and Human Services Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Co-Chair: Representative Mia Jones (FL)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2016
• Ratification is certified by: Senator Catherine Pugh (MD), President

A RESOLUTION ON PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS

WHEREAS, prostate cancer is a disease that disproportionately affects African-American males, with incidence rates 1.6 times higher than non-African-American males;

WHEREAS, prostate cancer is a disease that disproportionately affects all men with a family history of this disease (particularly brother and/or father) and as they advance in age;

WHEREAS, African-American males die from prostate cancer at a rate 2.5 times higher than White males;

WHEREAS, prostate cancer is detected in African-American males, on average, at a younger age than White males;

WHEREAS, race, age and family history present a triple risk for older African Americans;

WHEREAS, early detection and treatment of prostate cancer can prevent deaths and metastatic spread of prostate cancer in the body and related pain and suffering; and

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) has called for increased funding and outreach in resolution HHS-08-23 “To Adopt Additional Funds for Education, Awareness, Outreach, and Early Detection for Prostate Cancer.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) calls on states to take action on prostate cancer awareness;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NBCSL call on states to encourage culturally-competent outreach efforts to educate and inform communities of color on the importance of early detection;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NBCSL calls on states to encourage African-American men to participate in clinical trials and for clinical trials to actively recruit African-American men;

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR: Representative Brenda Gilmore (TN)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Health and Human Services Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Co-Chair: Representative Mia Jones (FL)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2016
• Ratification is certified by: Senator Catherine Pugh (MD), President

A RESOLUTION TAKING ACTION ON THE CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS IN THE U.S

WHEREAS, disease prevention programs for certain communities are not being implemented because health care deserts, that is, communities without doctors in pockets of the inner city and rural communities, are increasing and causing huge health disparities once again;

WHEREAS, roughly 65 million people live in a primary care desert;

WHEREAS, the U.S. could lose 100,000 doctors by 2025, 1/3 of which will be primary care physicians;

WHEREAS, this shortage of doctors, especially primary care doctors, as well as the lack of diversity in our physician workforce, have been long overlooked because many of the people harmed usually do not have a political voice and the clout to hold elected leaders accountable;

WHEREAS, medical schools remain closed systems and do not generate sufficient numbers of primary care physicians and few minority physicians, thus they are not responding to the needs of society ensuring positive patient outcomes;

WHEREAS, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports that in 1978, there were just 542 black males enrolled in U.S. medical schools and in 2014 there were only 515;

WHEREAS, the few doctors who will now take Medicare and Medicaid patients are limited by the federal government preventing them from having the resources necessary to provide the patients with adequate care;

WHEREAS, quality, accredited, off shore schools are significant sources of primary care doctors of color who are American citizens but attended an off shore medical school;

WHEREAS, primary care doctors of color who attended such accredited, off shore schools face an implicit bias and most doors remain closed to them, especially in most American teaching hospitals;

WHEREAS, “pipeline” programs have been proven to work but are underfunded, sporadically funded and undervalued;

WHEREAS, “pipeline” programs engage underrepresented students into a career track and may involve service, education, or research, while others may involve multiple components; and

WHEREAS, “pipeline” programs have proven to be effective at the elementary, middle and high school levels, as well as the college and post-baccalaureate levels.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) calls on Congress to increase the funding for African-American medical students and African-American primary care residents;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL calls for federal and state laws to support continuous, sustainable funding for the implementation and assessment of pipeline programs;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL will initiate a plan of action to obtain sustainable private-sector support for pipeline programs for African Americans and other underrepresented people of color at all levels;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that most of this funding be distributed to institutions that focus on hiring and training African-American and other underrepresented doctors seeking to work in communities most in need;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that such legislation should include additional funding for medical school students focusing on general (primary care), internal medicine and family medicine;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NBCSL calls on state medical boards to work with off-shore medical schools to enable doctors that pursue degrees off-shore to receive the proper certifications with minimal obstacles; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR: Representative Brenda Gilmore (TN)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Health and Human Services Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Co-Chair: Representative Mia Jones (FL)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2016
• Ratification is certified by: Senator Catherine Pugh (MD), President

A RESOLUTION ON MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE AWARENESS

WHEREAS, meningococcal disease is any infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitides, or meningococcus;

WHEREAS, 1 in 10 people are carriers for these bacteria with no signs or symptoms of disease, sometimes Neisseria meningitis bacteria can cause illness;

WHEREAS, meningococcal disease is spread from person to person via the exchange of the bacteria through respiratory and throat secretion during close or lengthy contact;

WHEREAS, in the U.S., there are approximately 1,000 to 1,200 cases of meningococcal disease that occur each year;

WHEREAS, 10 to 15 percent of infected individuals will die, while 11 to 19 percent of those who live will suffer from serious morbidity, including loss of limbs and impacts to the nervous system;

WHEREAS, infants under one year of age, as well as young adults between the ages of 16 and 21, are most commonly impacted by this disease;

WHEREAS, there are different strains or serogroups of Neisseria meningitides, with serogroups B, C, and Y accounting for most meningococcal diseases in the US;

WHEREAS, there have been several recent outbreaks of serogroup B meningococcal disease on college campuses, with some cases resulting in death;

WHEREAS, there are vaccines that help provide protection against all three serogroups (B, C, and Y) commonly seen in the United States;

WHEREAS, vaccination for serogroups A, C, W and Y is routinely recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that decisions to vaccinate adolescents and young adults 16 through 23 years of age against serogroup B meningococcal disease should be made at the individual level with health care providers;

WHEREAS, it is critical that students, parents, educators, and health care providers understand the dangers of meningitis B and are aware that a vaccine is available to prevent disease resulting from this serogroup; and

WHEREAS, the recent incidence of meningococcal disease has served as a reminder of the critical role vaccinations play in helping to prevent this devastating illness.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators take all reasonable steps to urge all private and public high schools, colleges, and universities to provide information to all students and parents about meningococcal disease, explaining the different disease serogroups, symptoms, risks, and treatment;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that such information shall also include a notice of availability, benefits, risks, and limitations of all meningococcal vaccines receiving a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, including Category A and Category B recommendations, with specific information as to those persons at higher risk for the disease;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each private and public high school, college, and university shall recommend that current and entering students receive meningococcal vaccines in accordance with current Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices guidelines.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR: Senator Donne E. Trotter (IL)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Health and Human Services Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Co-Chair: Representative Mia Jones (FL)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2016
• Ratification is certified by: Senator Catherine Pugh (MD), President

A RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING ADVANCEMENTS IN BIOPHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION

WHEREAS, biopharmaceutical innovation is a major contributor to improvements in better health and increased life expectancy in the United States;

WHEREAS, biopharmaceuticals account for on average only 10 percent of healthcare expenditures in the U.S. compared with hospital and physician services, which account for more than 50 percent according to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services;

WHEREAS, when a branded biopharmaceutical loses patent protection, it becomes “generic” and the cost of that innovation dramatically declines;

WHEREAS, generic medicines account for 80 percent of prescriptions and continue to add enormous value to society in perpetuity;

WHEREAS, no other part of the healthcare sector offers patients the same reduction in cost over time. Today’s expensive hospital admission is tomorrow’s even more expensive hospital admission;

WHEREAS, biopharmaceuticals are responsible in reducing overall healthcare costs;

WHEREAS, a small percentage of chronically sick patients require higher cost biopharmaceuticals for possible cures or for the management of serious illnesses such as cancer;

WHEREAS, such patients end up paying a greater percentage of the cost of their medicines than for a visit to an emergency room or a hospitalization;

WHEREAS, policy makers are asked to address the high cost of healthcare, insurance premiums and biopharmaceuticals for both society and patients;

WHEREAS, cost-containment polices may impede future biopharmaceutical innovation and its continued enhancements to quality of life and longevity; and

WHEREAS, inefficiencies across the healthcare system account for $910 billion (34 percent) of healthcare spending.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the National Black Caucus Of State Legislators (NBCSL) believes the focus should be on maximizing efficiencies and access in all parts of the health care systems, not just on biopharmaceuticals;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, states should work to decrease impediments to biopharmaceutical innovation;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL supports policy makers evaluating the societal benefit biopharmaceutical have provided and will provide in future years including improvements in patient life expectancy, quality of life and satisfaction.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NBCSL supports increased access to biopharmaceutical innovations for low-income and communities of color; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR: Senator Donne E. Trotter (IL)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Health and Human Services Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Co-Chair: Representative Mia Jones (FL)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2016
• Ratification is certified by: Senator Catherine Pugh (MD), President

A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE REPEAL OF THE MAXIMUM FAMILY GRANT RULE

WHEREAS, existing state law requires each county to provide cash assistance and other social services to needy families;

WHEREAS, the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule prevents parents receiving assistance from receiving a grant for any child born to the household while any member of the household is receiving aid;

WHEREAS, if the MFG rule was repealed, the amount most households would receive in additional benefits is hardly enough to pay for the child’s basic needs and without it, these children face increased risk of homelessness and other hardship associated with extreme poverty;

WHEREAS, the MFG policy is intended to control impoverished parents’ choices about the size of their families and when to conceive through the threat of economic hardship;

WHEREAS, the MFG rule has not led to changes in birthrates among poor women but has resulted in women being forced to make desperate decisions that endanger the health and safety of themselves and their children;

WHEREAS, most state laws allow few exemptions to the MFG rule, including when a child is
conceived as a result of incest or rape or from a failure of contraceptives, but only for those
contraceptives identified in state statute, thus forcing mothers to decide between disclosing
personal and confidential medical information or going without a basic need grant for their child;

WHEREAS, of the 24 states that initially adopted child exclusion policies, nine have now repealed them, citing the policies’ ineffectiveness to achieve the intended goal and its impact on
reproductive privacy and child wellbeing; and

WHEREAS, repeal of the MFG rule will also free caseworkers to work with families helping them obtain the services they need to move toward reentering the workforce instead of spending their limited time determining whether children are subject to the MFG rule;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) supports repealing Maximum Family Grant rules, to prevent the harmful health and human development consequences of denying services to infants and to restore reproductive privacy to families receiving aid;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators urges the passage of state bills which would repeal of the Maximum Family Grant rules in their respective states; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR: Senator Holly J. Mitchell (CA)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Health and Human Services Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Co-Chair: Representative Mia Jones (FL)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2016
• Ratification is certified by: Senator Catherine Pugh (MD), President