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ACTION ALERT - Dietitians and medicare bill-Please Act Your Assistance Is Needed!
We are at a pivotal moment in the 110th Congress, where you can help ADA reach one of its goals for expanding medical nutrition therapy provided by registered dietitians. We ask you to immediately send a specific, unified message to senators in Washington, D.C. about the importance of new preventive services - including MNT - in Medicare. Go to the (members-only) Grassroots Manager on the ADA Web site, where you will be provided with access to reach your senators. The right message will be cued up to go directly to senate offices. The detailed instructions for completing this task are included at the bottom of this message. We can promise that the entire process for the average member will take less than 5 minutes. Please act today. ADA will share additional information soon.
Here Are the Facts:
Last Friday, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced a Medicare bill, S. 3101, to avert an imminent 10-percent cut in payments to all providers covered under the physician fee schedule. Baucus also included new preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries in S. 3101, so that people on Medicare could see a professional to help them prevent the onset or the prolongation of a disease. If the Baucus preventive services provisions became law, those who are at risk for developing diabetes, certain cardio-vascular diseases and various other conditions could receive MNT as a covered service.
Sen. Baucus bill has bi-partisan support in the Senate, but to ensure that his bill becomes law, we need a veto-proof majority. That is where you and your fellow ADA grassroots activists come into the picture. ADA has posted a letter on its Grassroots Manager website for ADA members to send to their Senators. Please send an email to your Senators and encourage them to support Sen. Baucus' Medicare bill. You are also encouraged to add any personal information that you might have. If you met with them or their staff while at PPW, make note of it. If you work in a setting where you have seen preventive services work, include that as well. If you work with people with diabetes or cardio-vascular diseases, discuss the cost effectiveness of preventive care and imperative to lessen the severity of the disease. In other words, use this opportunity to communicate simply but compellingly that MNT works.
Time is of the essence as the Senate will likely vote on the bill Thursday. Please send your letter today. ADA will share additional information and possible next steps following the Senate's procedural vote tomorrow.
Instructions for Using Grassroots Manager to Contact Your Senators about Medicare MNT
To access Grassroots Manager, follow the instructions below:
Go to Advocacy and the Profession
Enter in your ADA member # and password
Click on Grassroots Manager
When taken to the Grassroots manager site, click on Take Action
Select Support Sen. Baucus Medicare Bill
Select your recipients
Add in your personal message at the bottom
Send letter via email or fax
If members like, they can follow up with a phone call. Grassroots Manager provides all contact information for elected officials.
Thank you and good luck!
