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EXPERT ROUNDUP: SUPREME COURT AND PPACA
EXPERT ALERTS
- Sandusky Case Reveals the Importance of Paying Attention
- ADA Discrimination Lawsuits Spiking
- Algae and Its Role in Energy Security for the Military
- Cellphone Radiation Study Takes Wrong Approach
- Finding Money for College
- NFL Concussion Litigation Rushes Forward
- Pinning Employees Can Leave Company Stuck
- Shale Gas to Fuel Long-Term Boom
- Title IX: 40 Years Later
- Work Together to Set Kids' Summer Schedules
MEDIA JOBS
- High-School Reporter-McLean, Va.
- Editorial Assistant - Chicago
- Reporter - Paragould, Ark.
- Assistant Editor - NYC
- Courts Reporter - Palo Alto, Calif.
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
- Tool Spotlight: MightyText
- Grammar Hammer: There 'May Be' or 'Maybe' a Shark in the Water?
- Spotlight: Deborah Skolnik, Parenting
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EXPERT ROUNDUP: SUPREME COURT AND PPACA (8 experts)
Following is a list of experts who can discuss various aspects of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on Thursday morning. Photos of some of the following experts are available on ProfNet Connect. You can view them here: bit.ly/MUmnAA
Daniel Conkle
Robert H. McKinney Professor of Law
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
"The Supreme Court will be making important legal history if it strikes down even part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). If the court invalidates any of the law’s provisions, it could be one of the most important federalism rulings from the court -- and one of the most dramatic confrontations between the court and the president since the 1930s.”
Conkle, a constitutional law expert, is available to comment on the various aspects of the Supreme Court decision on the PPACA as it relates to constitutional law, including the constitutionality of the individual mandate, the constitutionality of the law’s expansion of Medicaid and the issue of severability -- whether the entire law must be struck down if any part is found unconstitutional.
Bio: bit.ly/LNe1YE
Website: www.law.indiana.edu
News Contact: Brianne O’Donnell, brianne.odonnell@gabbe.com or +1-212-220-4444
Charles Geyh
John F. Kimberling Professor of Law
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
“If the Supreme Court strikes down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the decision could lead the political left to challenge the Supreme Court in ways unprecedented since the New Deal. This could include efforts that run the gamut from mild forms of saber-rattling, to more aggressive assaults on the court’s legitimacy.”
An expert on the judiciary, Geyh is available to comment on the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the PPACA as it relates to the balance of power between Congress and the Supreme Court, and the extent to which the court’s action will trigger further shifts in that balance.
Bio: bit.ly/MQiQS1
Website: www.law.indiana.edu
News Contact: Brianne O’Donnell, brianne.odonnell@gabbe.com or +1-212-220-4444
Katy Beh Neas
Senior Vice President of Government Relations
Easter Seals
"As the U.S. Supreme Court announces its ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this Thursday morning, it’s a really critical day for millions of children and adults with disabilities. Easter Seals believes access to appropriate and high-quality health care services is essential for people with disabilities to live, learn, work and play in their communities. Simply put, the ACA is critical to millions of families living with disabilities.”
Neas is available to share what the ruling will mean for the millions of families living with disabilities that the organization serves, and can connect reporters with families directly affected by the ruling to provide their perspective.
Bio: bit.ly/FS0T27
News Contact: Kristen Barnfield, kbarnfield@easterseals.com or +1-312-551-7147
Joshua Perry
Assistant Professor of Business Law
Indiana University Kelley School of Business
"Ethics are the bedrock of health care, the root of total trust between physician and patient, and what makes health care unique among economic enterprises. But rising tides of commercialization have eroded long-standing, ethics-based self-regulation and internal constraints. As systemic complexities related to cost, quality and access are debated, ethics deserve a seat at the table where policies are being argued."
Perry, a legal scholar and ethicist, says the ethical principles that have for centuries shaped the relationship between patient and physician should also guide legislators, regulators -- and justices of the highest court -- charged with crafting U.S. health care policies that demarcate the boundaries of a physician's business practice. Some of the clearest examples of these ethical considerations are the reforms to the physician-owned specialty-hospital industry enacted in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which Perry argues could have gone further and completely banned physician-owned hospitals.
Bio: bit.ly/NIX3yh
Website: www.kelley.iu.edu
News Contact: Brianne O’Donnell, brianne.odonnell@gabbe.com or +1-212-220-4444
These experts were included in Expert Alerts newsletters sent earlier this year:
Jeffrey Bunting
Founder and President
ActiveStrategy Inc.
"The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a piece of 2010 health care reform legislation, significantly changes the way hospitals will be reimbursed. Starting in fiscal year 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will withhold a growing percentage of reimbursement dollars; these funds will only be rewarded to hospitals that demonstrate positive performance in several areas, including patient safety, quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. Even small health systems estimate that this change could put at least $1 million at risk by 2013, and perhaps double that amount by 2017. Anticipating this change, hospitals are putting new processes and technology in place now that will help them retain every bit of their reimbursement dollars in the future. For example, leading hospitals have recently started using apps created to run on iPads and iPhones that automate what have typically been very manual, time-consuming and error-prone processes, such as safety observations, patient-satisfaction assessments and quality audits. Automating these surveys and observations has saved hundreds of hours of data-collection and input time, while reducing errors and driving major improvements in patient satisfaction and quality metrics.”
Website: www.activestrategy.com
News Contact: Richard Berman, BermanTrenckCommunications@gmail.com or +1-914-572-2707
Carl Cecere
Appellate Lawyer
Hankinson LLP in Dallas
"If the U.S. Supreme Court determines that some aspects of Obama’s health care reforms are unconstitutional, that decision could call into question the constitutionality of numerous other federal laws. One important aspect of the Affordable Care Act is the requirement that states open up their Medicaid programs to all their legal residents -- not just children -- who live in poverty. The Supreme Court has agreed to answer the question of whether these Medicaid expansions overreach in placing greater demands on state Medicaid programs. If the court decides the act has exceeded federal authority, that ruling could have ripple effects on other federal laws. It’s likely that the constitutionality of federal laws that protect the environment, deter discrimination and support education would all be brought into question."
News Contact: Dave Moore, dave@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Cary Hall
President
Benefits By Design
“Forcing insurance carriers to cap increases to 10 percent or submit rationale to the federal government in the name of consumer protection would have the opposite effect. States and their respective insurance commissioners already have oversight of these matters and base decision-making on the local needs and requirements of their regions. Any cap is, in fact, price control, which has never been successful in the U.S., and turning insurance carriers into utility companies is not in the consumer’s best interest.”
Hall, located in Kansas City, Mo., is host of a talk-radio program called "The Health Insurance Advocate." He's a health insurance industry expert.
News Contact: Denise Bentele, dbentele@commongroundpr.com or +1-636-530-1235, ext. 224
C. William Jones
Chairman
ProtectSeniors.Org
“Tens of millions of America’s seniors are in the same sinking boat. More than 22 million retirees in America have had their earned health care benefits cancelled, with another 14.3 million on the verge of losing them. Corporate CEOs are eliminating benefits that retirees earned during their working years by agreeing to lower salaries and lessen vacation time. These sacrifices were made in return for the promise of health care benefits after retirement. There are millions of seniors who cannot afford health insurance or copays and are being forced onto Medicare Part D and Medicaid. This has been pushing federal and state taxpayers to pick up the tab for these millions of newly uninsured retirees. The system needs to be fixed.”
Jones can discuss the impact of national health care reform, Medicare, Social Security and how Washington has overlooked protecting retiree health care. ProtectSeniors.Org advocates for retiree health benefits protections.
Profile: www.profnetconnect.com/c._william_bill_j...
News Contacts: Stu Miller, smiller@butlerassociates.com or +1-212-685-4600, ext. 102; Victoria Carmanvcarman@butlerassociates.com or +1-212-685-4600, ext. 107
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EXPERT ALERTS
Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts
Sandusky Case Reveals the Importance of Paying Attention
Gloria W. Fletcher
Children's Rights and Criminal Defense Attorney
Gloria W. Fletcher, P.A.
Fletcher, a prominent Florida criminal defense and children's rights attorney, is available to speak about the Jerry Sandusky verdict and pending civil litigation against Penn State University. Former Penn State assistant football coach Sandusky was found guilty of 45 of 48 counts of felonies and misdemeanors stemming from his years of child sexual assault. Now in his 60s, and facing a sentence of some 400 or more years, its likely Sandusky will die in prison.
"The victims -- 10 in the indictment, but apparently more in reality -- are left to spend the rest of their lives dealing with the sordid aftermath of the hell Sandusky wrought upon them. This case revealed the vital importance of paying close attention to what we see or hear. If it seems wrong, look more closely. If we know -- really know -- it's wrong, we have to take action."
Fletcher earned a $15 million settlement on behalf of more than 10 North Florida children abused in foster care and has tried dozens of other cases involving at-risk children who were sexually assaulted while in state care. In 2011, she worked diligently in her representation of a University of Florida Police Department officer accused of aggravated stalking and obstruction of justice. As a result of her efforts all charges against the officer were dismissed.
Website: www.gloriafletcherpa.com
News Contact: Michelle Friedman, mfriedman@boardroompr.com or +1-904-641-3226
ADA Discrimination Lawsuits Spiking
Michael Baum
Employment Litigation Attorney
Munck Wilson Mandala in Dallas
"Employment discrimination lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have nearly doubled in the last five years. The 90 percent increase follows changes to the ADA in 2008 that significantly broadened the range of workers protected under the statute and simultaneously made it harder for employers to obtain summary judgments for frivolous complaints. The broader definitions of who qualifies as 'disabled' under the ADA, coupled with an economic downturn in which out-of-work employees are more likely to sue their former employers, has resulted in a significant uptick in these types of lawsuits across the country."
News Contact: Robert Tharp, robert@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Algae and Its Role in Energy Security for the Military
Riggs Eckelberry
CEO and President
OriginOil
“Algae is the only bio-feedstock that actually absorbs a great deal of CO2, making it the perfect complement for our natural-gas boom. The military’s support for algae is dead on the money, as they adjust their strategy for the new low-cost-gas boom.”
According to the 2005 CIA World Factbook, if it were a country, the Department of Defense would rank 34th in the world in average daily oil use, coming in just behind Iraq and just ahead of Sweden. Eckelberry is OriginOil, Inc.’s president and CEO. In January of 2011, Eckelberry was named to the advisory board of the National Algae Association for his leadership in the field of algal biofuels technology. Today at MBD Energy in Australia (their first commercial partner), OriginOil is scaling their single-step extraction process for carbon capture. Eckelberry is a member of the Algal Biomass Organization and a corporate adviser to the Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization (IREO). In September 2009, OriginOil presented the industry’s first comprehensive algae production model, developed with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) of the Department of Energy.
News Contact: Jerry Schranz, jschranz@beckermanpr.com or +1-201-465-8020
Cellphone Radiation Study Takes Wrong Approach
Papool Chaudhari
Attorney
Reyes Browne Reilley in Dallas
"The problem with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s recently announced plan to review its standards for radiation emitted by cellphones is that it’s not looking at the problem the right way. The FCC is starting with an assumption that cellphones are safe, rather than presuming that they may actually pose a danger. If you remember, early on people thought tobacco was safe to use. How many lives might have been saved if we had started with a belief that tobacco was dangerous and worked to disprove that, rather than the other way around? The fact is, cellphones emit radiation and people hold them near their brain. We should presume they pose a danger and work to disprove that before allowing the public, especially children, to use them."
News Contact: Mark Annick, mark@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Finding Money for College
Darlene Violet
Director of Financial Aid
Brown Mackie College in Akron, Ohio
"In a competitive job market, earning a degree can be the biggest single step one can take to enhance career value and earning potential. As many bask in the glow of making plans to increase their career potential, the prospect of paying for college is a sobering reality. Few of us have funds set aside for this endeavor. Prospective students often don’t know where to start, but take heart."
Violet can offer advice on funding your college education.
News Contact: J. Stephen Dobbins, stdobbins@brownmackie.edu or +1-513-830-2005
NFL Concussion Litigation Rushes Forward
Eugene Egdorf
Sports and Entertainment Law Attorney
The Lanier Law Firm in Houston
"Now that the concussion-related complaints of more than 2,000 former National Football League (NFL) players have been consolidated, expect the NFL to push for a quick dismissal of the claims. The NFL will claim that health issues are covered under the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), but a good case could be made that the NFL and its helmet supplier, Riddell, have long known of the dangers and hid them from players. And I don’t know how information that has been withheld could be subject to the CBA, because you can’t really negotiate for rights you didn’t know you have."
News Contact: Alan Bentrup, alan@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Pinning Employees Can Leave Company Stuck
Audrey Mross
Employment Attorney
Munck Wilson Mandala in Dallas
"As Pinterest continues to grow in usage and popularity, it’s probably a good idea to remind employees of a few key rules related to intellectual property. Whenever someone posts or ‘pins’ an image or photograph that doesn’t belong to them, they risk violating someone else’s copyright. And if it happens on a work computer, there may be problems not only for the person posting, but potentially for the company as well, as the company may have some liability for its employees' actions. Employers need to make certain their company’s electronic communications policy includes language that prohibits violating laws with regard to patents, trademarks and copyrights, and make sure employees are following the policy."
News Contact: Mark Annick, mark@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Shale Gas to Fuel Long-Term Boom
Arthur Wright
Attorney
Thompson & Knight in Dallas
"Even as some energy companies cut back on production, a recent study forecasts that the ongoing development of shale-gas resources will account for nearly 1.5 million new jobs by 2015. At the same time, major projects, including several multibillion-dollar petrochemical plants in the works in Texas, likely will increase demand for natural gas. Despite current low natural-gas prices and potential for the oversupply of liquefied natural gas (LNG), I believe over the long haul we’ll continue to see an increase in investment and supply as consumption increases. New markets and demand will be created, while new facilities and outlets such as expanded use of LNG will create the growth to support ongoing shale production. According to the study, cumulative investments in unconventional gas development will reach nearly $3.2 trillion during the next 25 years."
News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Title IX: 40 Years Later
Glada Munt
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Southwestern University
Munt was among the first generation of women to benefit from Title IX. She was the first woman to have a graduate assistantship in athletics at Baylor University, and in 1975, she was hired to help Southwestern University start its women’s athletic program -- a direct response to Title IX. She has been director of intercollegiate athletics at Southwestern since 1995. Munt is available to discuss the impact of Title IX in the 40 years since its passage (June 23, 1972).
“It has been as impactful as desegregation. The current generation doesn’t understand and, at times, doesn’t appreciate how far women’s athletics have come. They just assume that this is how it has always been.”
News Contact: Ellen Davis, davise@southwestern.edu or +1-512-863-1570
Work Together to Set Kids' Summer Schedules
Amber Liddell Alwais
Family Law Attorney
McCurley Orsinger McCurley Nelson & Downing, L.L.P. in San Antonio
"Summer means a break from routine, and that disruption can wreak havoc with family schedules, particularly when the parents are divorced. Couples who are divorced or in the process of divorcing need to remember that court visitation orders must be followed, but the saving grace is that most court-ordered visitation starts with the phrase 'In the absence of a mutual agreement.' So, before scheduling summer events, talk with the other parent and reach some agreements. It is important to not schedule activities during the visitation time of the other parent, unless you have the other parent's agreement in advance. And remember: as children get older, parents become less 'cool' in their eyes and they will want more independence. Both parents should try to keep this in mind when scheduling their teens' summer activities and visits."
News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
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MEDIA JOBS:
Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard
- High-School Reporter - McLean, Va.
- Editorial Assistant - Chicago
- Reporter - Paragould, Ark.
- Assistant Editor - NYC
- Courts Reporter - Palo Alto, Calif.
See more listings here.
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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:
Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
- TOOL SPOTLIGHT: MIGHTYTEXT: ProfNet Editor Jason Hahn highlights MightyText, an Android app and browser extension that allows users to send and reply to text messages from a computer or tablet: bit.ly/LWeIU5
- GRAMMAR HAMMER: THERE 'MAY BE' OR 'MAYBE' A SHARK IN THE WATER?: ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne explains when it's correct to use "may be" and "maybe": bit.ly/MARvVB
- SPOTLIGHT: DEBORAH SKOLNIK, PARENTING: ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti interviews Deborah Skolnik, senior editor at Parenting magazine: bit.ly/KRj3IA
