MLP for Health Act
MLP Federal Demonstration Project
We are thrilled to announce that the bi-partisan Medical-Legal Partnership for Health Act was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on July 29, 2010.
Two identical bills were filed authorizing federal funds for a nationwide demonstration project for MLP. Senators Evan Bayh (IN), Kit Bond (MO) and Tom Harkin (IA) sponsored the Senate bill, while Representatives Dan Maffei (NY-25) and Chris Murphy (CT-5), co-led the House bill with key support from Bruce Braley (IA-1), Raul Grijalva (AZ-7), James Langevin (RI-2), Patrick Kennedy (RI-1) and Betty Sutton (OH-13).
The Bills
Sponsoring Senators' Press Release
Sponsoring Representatives' Press Release
Text of Senator Harkin's Floor Speech from July 29, 2010
Related press
Bond Presents Possible Health Care Fix. KRMS News Radio. July 30, 2010.
Capitol Hill Day 2010
On March 24, 2010, medical-legal partnership teams representing 17 states met with nearly 70 members of Congress and staff on Capitol Hill to educate them about MLP and its positive impact on vulnerable populations across the country. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Members and their staff were eager to support the work of local partnerships and the MLP Network, a testament to the important and valuable services MLPs provide.
The American Bar Association also sponsored a briefing, “Medical-Legal Partnerships: Impacting Patients, Transforming Medicine”. We heard from Representative Dan Maffei (NY-25), Wm. T Robinson III (2011-2012 ABA President), Barry Zuckerman (Founding Director, NCMLP), Andrew Wolk (President and CEO, Root Cause) and Ellen Lawton (Executive Director, NCMLP). There was a great turnout that included staff from Congressional offices, the ABA and various government agencies.
Click Here to See Photos from the Briefing
Ongoing Outreach
The National Center for MLP encourages sites to continue spreading the word about MLP by reaching out to leaders in the community.
Inviting legislators and staff to your hospital or clinic can be a rewarding experience and a great way to give policymakers the opportunity to get to know your MLP. A site visit can create a lasting impression of the positive impact your work has on the health and well being of individuals and families in your community.
NCMLP's guide to planning a site visit
To find out when federal lawmakers will be in your home district, please visit www.house.gov and/or www.senate.gov.
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Resources
The National Center conducted a webinar on Friday, August 20, to update Network sites about the MLP for Health Act and our legislative agenda for the fall.
Click here to view the webinar. (Please note that this requires a user log-in.)
In addition to any resources about your program, the following items may be helpful when speaking with policymakers about medical-legal partnership.
MLP for Health Act -- FAQ for MLP sites
One-pager on the national impact of MLPs
Map of the MLP Network -- March 2010
The National Center for MLP recommends that MLP teams connect with their health institutions' government relations offices to inform them about any policy-related activity. Click here for a short primer on how to effectively engage your government relations office in the policy process.
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No one should be denied the medical attention they need because they cannot navigate the labyrinth of our legal system. Cutting the red tape between doctors and lawyers will not only save money, but by improving public health and awareness, will have the potential to save lives.
Senator Kit Bond (R-MO)
