ACOEM Lobbying Input Into Health Care Reform

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A Special Message from Dr. Hymel on Health System Reform

<http://www.acoem.org/images/broadcast/healthyworkforcenowhdr.jpg>

Dear Colleague:

I'm writing today to share with you news about our " Healthy Workforce

Now " advocacy initiative, which ACOEM has launched in Washington, D.C.

We are working vigorously for new federal policies that will make

preventive health in the workplace a much higher priority than it has

ever been.

On June 1, we hosted a special briefing on Capitol Hill to bring this

initiative directly to leaders of Congress. Here's what we asked them to

do:

1. Establish a federal Office of Worker Health and Productivity to

develop and promote workplace health initiatives.

2. Establish a President's Council on Worker Health and

Productivity to advise the President on important workplace health

issues.

3. Require employer-provided health plans to include an integrated

health and productivity enhancement program for work-site prevention,

health promotion and health protection, under the direction of a

qualified occupational medicine physician.

4. Require employer-provided health plans to reimburse for

preventive services provided to employees as part of an integrated

health and productivity enhancement program.

5. Pass federal legislation that would provide a tax credit to

companies that offer effective and comprehensive wellness programs.

6. Amend existing federal law to provide Centers for Medicare and

Medicaid Services (CMS) funding for occupational medicine residency

programs that include training modules specific to health and

productivity to ensure an adequate supply of Board Certified

occupational medicine physicians.

7. Fund research through CMS to determine the most effective health

and productivity enhancement strategies, ranging from health promotion

to disease management in the workplace.

We will keep you informed as we aggressively pursue this 7-point

advocacy agenda on your behalf. In the meantime, I urge you to visit our

grassroots political action center at ACOEM's web site

(www.acoem.org) <blockedhttp://www.acoem.org> . Look for " Healthy

Workforce Now " on our homepage to learn more about how you can become

involved in this initiative.

Sincerely,

Pamela Hymel, MD, MPH, FACOEM

President, ACOEM

Sharon Noonan Kramer

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