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See below. There is so much BS here I don't know where to start. Please add comments that can be used to refute the dermatologists assertions about killing this bill.
ACTION ALERT:
CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SB 1630!
TO: Illinois Dermatologists
FROM: Amy Derick, MD, President – Illinois Dermatological Society
SUBJECT: CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS AND VOICE YOUR OPPOSTION TO SB 1630
DATE: September 9, 2014
STATUS UPDATE: The Illinois Dermatological Society (IDS), the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) are all united in opposition to SB 1630, a bill that unfairly regulates billing by physicians of pathology services. Thanks to the efforts of many throughout the state, we were successful in receiving an amendatory veto by the governor! We now have the task of educating Members of the Illinois General Assembly about the negative impact of this bill and encouraging them to vote “No” on any attempt to override the veto. We want legislators to let this bill die now so we can finally sit down with the proponents to work out language that we all can live with.
This bill, as it currently stands, will hurt thousands of dermatologists, OBGYN, urologists, and GI doctors, while potentially helping fewer than 500 pathologists. Insurance companies have reduced payments to doctors, and this will cut money used for overhead even more. Many practices might even be forced to lay off Illinois workers in order to cover the loss. Women will be disadvantaged both as patients (especially OB/GYN patients) and as the owners of medical practices. It will hurt low income patients in particular because of larger co-pays.
ACTION REQUEST: We are now up against a new deadline as this bill now faces final action by the General Assembly during the Veto Session in November and December. We need your help! Specifically, we’re asking you to take the following action:
CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATOR AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE NOW TO EXPRESS YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE BILL AND OUTLINE HOW IT WILL AFFECT YOUR MEDICAL PRACTICE. Ask your legislator to contact their Senate or House leader and request that the bill not be called this fall to allow us time to work out an agreement with the other side on this issue.
Below you will find talking points and instructions you or a staff member can use to communicate with your legislators quickly and effectively. THANK YOU for all your efforts to stop SB 1630!
LEGISLATOR CONTACT INSTRUCTIONS:
Your home and office Senate and House are printed below, according to the information for you we have listed in our database. (If your address is not correct you can look up your legislators by going to the website listed below… just enter your addresses and the district information will be displayed.
http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/addressfinder.aspx
In your email or letter to the senator/representative, please use the following message as your guide:
I am a physician in your district and I am contacting you because I am opposed to SB 1630 – a bill that received an amendatory veto from Governor. I urge you to contact your respective House or Senate leader and ask them to not call the bill for a vote and allow us to work with the proponents to find language we can all agree to which can be considered in the spring. The merits of this bill were not properly considered because many of the state’s doctors were not even aware of the bill’s existence. If it becomes law, this bill will bar me and other physicians from recouping any overhead costs associated with ordering pathology from an outside lab.
ALSO, insert some specifics about your practice:
·How many patients you care for each year.
·How many people you employ in your practice.
This bill will impact thousands of physicians across the state. Many practices might be forced to lay off workers to cover the loss. It will hurt low income patients, women, and patients with large co-pays. The people of Illinois will also be harmed because this bill would conservatively move millions of dollars in taxable activity (now billed by in-state doctors) to out-of-state labs and non-profit (non-taxed) hospitals each year. In a period of severe budget austerity, this makes no fiscal sense.
It is best to put the letter on your office letterhead, or as an alternative, personal letterhead. Be sure to include your return address (and email), and sign your name.
Please send a “blind copy” of your email to the IDS office – [email protected] – or send your letter by mail to our administrative office:
Illinois Dermatological Society
10 W. Phillip Rd., Suite 120
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
If you have any personal relationships with Illinois State Senators or Representatives, let us know. Personal relationships in legislative advocacy are highly important! Contact the IDS if any senators or representatives are friends, neighbors, patients, etc.
Your Senators and Representatives
Following are the home and office addresses we have listed for you in our database, along with the corresponding Senate and House districts. You can quickly look up your legislators’ contact information by going to : www.ILGA.gov
Home Senate district: 09 Office Senate district: 26
Home Representative district: 017 Office Representative district: 051800-838-3627 – 847-680-1666
Fax: 847-680-1682
[email protected]
ACTION ALERT:
CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SB 1630!
TO: Illinois Dermatologists
FROM: Amy Derick, MD, President – Illinois Dermatological Society
SUBJECT: CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS AND VOICE YOUR OPPOSTION TO SB 1630
DATE: September 9, 2014
STATUS UPDATE: The Illinois Dermatological Society (IDS), the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) are all united in opposition to SB 1630, a bill that unfairly regulates billing by physicians of pathology services. Thanks to the efforts of many throughout the state, we were successful in receiving an amendatory veto by the governor! We now have the task of educating Members of the Illinois General Assembly about the negative impact of this bill and encouraging them to vote “No” on any attempt to override the veto. We want legislators to let this bill die now so we can finally sit down with the proponents to work out language that we all can live with.
This bill, as it currently stands, will hurt thousands of dermatologists, OBGYN, urologists, and GI doctors, while potentially helping fewer than 500 pathologists. Insurance companies have reduced payments to doctors, and this will cut money used for overhead even more. Many practices might even be forced to lay off Illinois workers in order to cover the loss. Women will be disadvantaged both as patients (especially OB/GYN patients) and as the owners of medical practices. It will hurt low income patients in particular because of larger co-pays.
ACTION REQUEST: We are now up against a new deadline as this bill now faces final action by the General Assembly during the Veto Session in November and December. We need your help! Specifically, we’re asking you to take the following action:
CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATOR AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE NOW TO EXPRESS YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE BILL AND OUTLINE HOW IT WILL AFFECT YOUR MEDICAL PRACTICE. Ask your legislator to contact their Senate or House leader and request that the bill not be called this fall to allow us time to work out an agreement with the other side on this issue.
Below you will find talking points and instructions you or a staff member can use to communicate with your legislators quickly and effectively. THANK YOU for all your efforts to stop SB 1630!
LEGISLATOR CONTACT INSTRUCTIONS:
Your home and office Senate and House are printed below, according to the information for you we have listed in our database. (If your address is not correct you can look up your legislators by going to the website listed below… just enter your addresses and the district information will be displayed.
http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/addressfinder.aspx
In your email or letter to the senator/representative, please use the following message as your guide:
I am a physician in your district and I am contacting you because I am opposed to SB 1630 – a bill that received an amendatory veto from Governor. I urge you to contact your respective House or Senate leader and ask them to not call the bill for a vote and allow us to work with the proponents to find language we can all agree to which can be considered in the spring. The merits of this bill were not properly considered because many of the state’s doctors were not even aware of the bill’s existence. If it becomes law, this bill will bar me and other physicians from recouping any overhead costs associated with ordering pathology from an outside lab.
ALSO, insert some specifics about your practice:
·How many patients you care for each year.
·How many people you employ in your practice.
This bill will impact thousands of physicians across the state. Many practices might be forced to lay off workers to cover the loss. It will hurt low income patients, women, and patients with large co-pays. The people of Illinois will also be harmed because this bill would conservatively move millions of dollars in taxable activity (now billed by in-state doctors) to out-of-state labs and non-profit (non-taxed) hospitals each year. In a period of severe budget austerity, this makes no fiscal sense.
It is best to put the letter on your office letterhead, or as an alternative, personal letterhead. Be sure to include your return address (and email), and sign your name.
Please send a “blind copy” of your email to the IDS office – [email protected] – or send your letter by mail to our administrative office:
Illinois Dermatological Society
10 W. Phillip Rd., Suite 120
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
If you have any personal relationships with Illinois State Senators or Representatives, let us know. Personal relationships in legislative advocacy are highly important! Contact the IDS if any senators or representatives are friends, neighbors, patients, etc.
Your Senators and Representatives
Following are the home and office addresses we have listed for you in our database, along with the corresponding Senate and House districts. You can quickly look up your legislators’ contact information by going to : www.ILGA.gov
Home Senate district: 09 Office Senate district: 26
Home Representative district: 017 Office Representative district: 051800-838-3627 – 847-680-1666
Fax: 847-680-1682
[email protected]
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