The LuLac Edition #966, Oct. 6th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: CONGRESSMAN PAUL KANJORSKI, "REDI KILOWATT" AND DEMOCRATIC HOPEFUL DAN ONORATO.

WOMEN'S HEALTH ED

Our two U.S. Senators are taking aim at improving women's access to a medical education. Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would address inequities in federal funding for teaching hospitals that focus on women's health. The Women's Hospitals Education Equity Act, introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and cosponsored by Senators Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Bob Casey (D-PA), would create a new $12 million funding pool for women's hospitals focused on obstetrical care. “Hospitals focusing on women's health play an important role in our health care system,” said Whitehouse. “It is essential that these facilities receive the funding necessary to train future doctors and ensure we can meet America's growing demand for quality medical care.” “Ensuring hospitals that focus on women’s care have proper funding to train the next generation of doctors is essential to comprehensive health care,” Senator Specter said. “By increasing the number of doctors with training in women’s care, including obstetricians, gynecologists, neonatologists and pediatricians, more women will have access to these important services.” “This bill will correct a long-standing inequity in funding that hospitals providing women’s health care and in particular, obstetrical care, have faced,” said Senator Casey. “We must ensure that these hospitals are fairly funded in order to further educate doctors and medical staff as they continue to provide quality care for women.” Teaching hospitals specializing in women's health play a vital and unique role in both health care delivery and in training our next generation of obstetricians, gynecologists, neonatologists, and pediatricians. Most teaching hospitals are currently funded by federal Medicare graduate medical education payments, which cover expenses of educating residents. However, for women's health facilities with low volumes of Medicare patients, this results in often inadequate levels of funding. The Women's Hospitals Education Equity Act will establish a $12 million fund to help women's hospitals around the country pay for graduate medical education programs. In order to target resources directly at those hospitals for which traditional Medicare payments are insufficient, eligibility will be limited to hospitals where fewer than 4% of total discharges were Medicare fee-for-service patients, and where at least 3,000 births occurred annually.

KANJORSKI ON TV

On Wednesday, October 7, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11), the Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, will appear on CNBC’s Squawk Box. He will join a panel comprised of a bipartisan group of six Members of Congress to discuss the important issues that Congress is currently working on including reforming the regulatory structure of the financial services industry and health care reform. DETAILS: Wednesday, October 7 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

PP&L RATE HIKE

Got the electric bill the other day and got hysterical when I opened it up. As you know next year electricity rate hikes will go up. In order to ease the expected burden, the Electric Company is offering rate payers an opportunity to defer payments. However, they would be charged 6% interest when the bill is paid back in full. Gee thanks! And who will that 6% interest go to? You guessed it, the Electric Company.

DAN ANNOUNCES

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato travels to Wilkes Barre Wednesday after he joined a crowded race of five Democrats vying for the office of Governor. Onorato will appear at the Henry Auditorium in Wilkes Barre at 5PM on the campus of Wilkes College. The Western Pennsylvania politico has ties to Mountaintop in Northeastern Pa. Onorato begins with assets in the race: name recognition in the west, demonstrated fund-raising prowess and the ability to portray himself as an executive who over aw a regional economy recovery. However, his Democratic rivals are candidates who will compete with him for each of those potential strengths. The other likely candidates for the Democratic nomination are Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, retired businessman Tom Knox of Philadelphia and state Auditor General Jack Wagner. Onorato enters the race after a public career that took him through Pittsburgh City Council, the county controller's office and now into his second term as county executive. The field that Onorato is running in crowded if not bunched up by poll numbers. Just look how close these 5 candidates are. The Quinnipiac survey had Mr. Onorato in the lead among the Democrats, but with just 14 percent of the vote. He was followed by Mr. Hoeffel at 12 percent; Mr. Wagner, 11 percent; Mr. Doherty, 8 percent; and Mr. Knox, 5 percent. Mr. Onorato's margin was less than the survey's margin of error. Overall, the findings said more about the fluid and unformed state of the race than any meaningful ranking of the candidates. That poll says it is any one's game. It reminds me of the '78 Governor's race where you had 3 Democrats vying for the nomination, Bob Casey Senior, Ernie Kline and Pete Flaherty and on the GOP side you had Henry Hager, Dick Thornburgh, Arlen Specter, and David Marston. All were bunched in the polls then.