Have Questions About the Temporary High Risk Health Insurance Pool?
The health reform law creates a temporary national high-risk pool that will be created to provide health coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions who have been uninsured for six months. It is a temporary measure designed to bridge the gap until the implementation of other coverage provisions in the law that will take effect in January 2014. The law establishes basic requirements for the high-risk pool program that will be implemented in June 2010. Read a letter from Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, explaining provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, Public Law 111-148) regarding high-risk insurance pools.

The federal government will run the high risk pools for the 18 states that refused to run insurance pools for those with preexisting conditions at the state level. Twenty-nine states plus the District of Columbia will run the high-risk insurance pools with the remaining 5 states still undecided on what they will do.

For more information, read the National Institute for Health Care Reform's Health Coverage for the High-Risk Uninsured: Policy Options for Design of the Temporary High-Risk Pool. Also, the Kaiser Family Foundation has issued an "Explaining Health Reform" brief on the temporary high risk pools and answers basic questions about the program. To access this information, visit http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8066.pdf.

Are Your Congressional Members Cosponsors of S. 717 or H.R. 2366?
The 21st Century Cancer ALERT Act (S. 717) and the Cancer Coverage Parity Act (H.R. 2366) include important cancer research, prevention, early detection, and treatment provisions. Have your Congressional Members cosponsored these bills? If not, please take a few moments to visit the Advocacy Action Center at www.advocacy.myeloma.org to send an e-mail today.

Longtime Incumbents Lose in Primary Races
Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), a long time advocate for cancer research, lost his first bid for re-election after his 2009 party switch to Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA) in Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate primary. Sestak will face former Representative Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA) in November.

Representative Alan Mollohan (D-WV) lost to state Senator Mike Oliverio in a contentious Democratic primary in which the congressman's ethical behavior was the dominant issue. Mollohan lost to Oliverio by 56 percent to 44 percent in what was the toughest intraparty race for the congressman since he was first elected in 1982.

Congressional Recess
The House and Senate are in recess for Memorial Day. Both Chambers will resume legislative business on June 7th.

Are You a Member of the Myeloma Action Network?
Want to stay informed about IMF's advocacy activities? All you need to do is to join the Myeloma Action Network at www.advocacy.myeloma.org and you will automatically receive e-mail advocacy alerts from the IMF. To learn more about health care reform and other important advocacy issues that impact the myeloma community, please visit the IMF advocacy page at www.myeloma.org.