The
Webster
Wire
Listening
to
Floridians
Dear
Friends:
Last week,
I
returned
to
Washington,
DC
for
committee
hearings
and
floor
votes.
First
priority
for
Congress
was
to
pass
a resolution
that
funded
important
services
for
our
veterans,
seniors,
military
and
homeland
security
among
others.
On
Friday
we
passed
an
one-week
spending
bill.
This
week
we
are
considering
a
bill
that
will
provide
funding
for
the
rest
of
the
2017
Fiscal
Year,
which
lasts
for
5
more
months.
 Additionally,
Reps.
McArthur
and
Meadows
filed
an
amendment
to
the
American
Health
Care
Act,
the
legislation
that
will
repeal
and
replace
Obamacare
with
real
healthcare
reform.
Their
amendment
enables
states
to
develop
insurance
frameworks
that
best
fit
their
unique
populations
and
provide
superior
care
and
lower
costs
for
individuals.
To
obtain
a
waiver,
states
must
demonstrate
that
the
purpose
is
to
reduce
healthcare
costs
or
increase
coverage
for
individuals.
Under
the
waivers,
States
are
required
to
establish
a
program
for
high-risk
patients
or
premium
stabilization,
or
they
must
participate
in
the
federal
risk-sharing
program.
The
amendment
maintains
protections
for
pre-existing
conditions.
It
specifically
says
that
it
insurers
are
not
allowed
to
limit
coverage
for
those
with
pre-existing
conditions.
It
also
prohibits
state
from
obtaining
a
waiver
for
pre-existing
protection,
for
gender
discrimination,
for
guaranteed
issue
and
renewability
or
for
the
right
of
dependents
to
stay
on
a
family
plan
up
to
age
26.
Additionally,
insurers
are
still
prohibited
from
refusing
to
renew
patient
coverage
because
of
your
health
status
or
charging
you
more
because
you
become
ill.
Additional
information
is
available here.
It
is
also
important
to
note
that
Members
of
Congress
will
be
subject
to
all
of
these
changes
–
they
are
not
exempted.
This
is
specifically
stated
in
a
bill
introduced
by
Rep
Martha
McSally,
myself
and
several
other
of
our
colleagues.
My
concern
that
Florida
will
be
penalized
under
the
bill
because
of
demand
for
Medicaid-funded
nursing
home
beds
has
not
been
fixed.
This
is
critical
to
the
access
some
of
our
senior
population
has
to
Florida
nursing
homes.
Florida
is
a
very
efficient
state
when
it
comes
to
providing
Medicaid
services,
however
we
are
among
the
fastest
growing
states
in
the
nation.
Many
seniors
depend
on
Medicaid-funded
nursing
home
beds
when
their
Medicare
coverage
runs
out.
Our
high
senior
population
is
likely
going
to
explode
as
more
baby
boomers
reach
senior
age.
The
formula
expressed
in
the
proposal
calculates
a
per
capita
cost
multiplied
by
the
number
of
eligible
Medicaid
recipients
for
the
previous
year.
The
normal
increase
in
cost
of
services
coupled
with
being
one
of
the
fastest
growing
states
in
the
country,
puts
Florida
particularly
at
risk
for
exceeding
the
costs
established
under
the
bill.
If
a
state's
costs
exceeds
the
funds
provided,
the
monies
are
taken
out
of
the
next
year.
I
am
concerned
that
this
creates
a
vicious
cycle
of
costs
that
–
given
our
growth
rate
–
Florida
would
likely
never
overcome.
I
continue
to
work
with
leadership
and
am
still
hopeful
for
a
solution
before
bill
comes
up
for
a
vote.
On
Friday,
President
Trump
signed
another
executive
order
on
An
America-first
Offshore
Energy
Strategy
calling
for
a
review
of
drilling
on
the
outer
continental
shelf.
The
order
specifically
mentions
reviewing
the
Artic
Drilling
Rule.
The
order
does
not
include
Florida’s
beautiful
gulf
shores
as
a
review
site.
Florida’s
gulf
coast
is
a
world-renowned
tourist
attraction
and
base
for
military
training
and
weapon
testing.
I
am
opposed
to
offshore
drilling
off
Florida’s
Gulf
Coast.
Last
month,
I
and
several
of
my
Florida
colleagues
wrote
to
the
administration
expressing
our
strong
opposition
and
I
will
continue
to
oppose
efforts
to
drill
in
this
area.
Your
servant,
Daniel
Webster
Member
of
Congress
Constituent
Corner
A
constituent
from
Mascotte
visited
the
office
regarding
the
issues
he
was
experiencing
re-enrolling
in
Medicare
Part
B.
He
had
submitted
the
paperwork
but
was
being
told
that
he
had
missed
the
open
enrollment
period
and
it
would
be
not
be
effective
until
July
2017
instead
of
December
2016.
My
office
went
back
and
forth
with
Social
Security
Administration
until
they
were
able
to
locate
the
paperwork
that
the
constituent
had
sent
to
the
Processing
Center
and
were
able
to
reinstate
his
Part
B
benefits
and
issue
a
new
Medicare
card
to
him.
The
constituent
confirmed
that
everything
had
been
resolved
and
appreciated
the
assistance
my
office
provided
to
him.
Legislative
Update
This
week,
President
Trump
signed
an
executive
order
to
create
an
“Office
of
Accountability
and
Whistleblower
Protection
at
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs.
This
order
strengthens
the
power
of
VA
leadership
to
hold
staff
accountable
for
misconduct.
The
president
also
urged
the
Senate
to
pass
the
VA
Accountability
First
Act
of
2017.
The
House
passed
this
bill
last
month
to
create
a
culture
of
accountability
at
the
VA
by
giving
the
Secretary
increased
flexibility
to
remove,
demote,
or
suspend
any
VA
employee,
including
Senior
Executive
Service
employees,
for
performance
or
misconduct. |