E-News from Congressman Murphy 6/6/15

Statement

OversightHearing With Top Docs on Vaccines: Safe, Effective, and Needed

On Tuesday, Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy convened a hearing to examine the federal response to the flu season, but discussion quickly turned to the recent measles outbreak and offered an opportunity for top health officials to debunk claims that vaccines are unsafe for children.

"Many are choosing not to vaccinate against the flu because they hear the vaccine doesn't work. We're seeing a similar result with measles vaccinations but for very different reasons, and now we're paying the piper," said Chairman Murphy (click here to read his opening statement).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health have spent millions producing nine studies debunking a since-discredited claim first published in a British medical journal linking autism and the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Despite that British paper having been retracted and called "the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years," the rumors still exist. Anti-vaccine groups also claim the MMR vaccine contains a mercury-based preservative, even though it is not used in the vaccine.

Before the hearing, Rep. Murphy appeared on CNN New Day regarding the measles outbreak.

"A little bad science goes a long way," Mr. Murphy said to host Chris Cuomo (click here to watch the interview).

At the hearing, Murphy asked four of the country's top infectious disease experts if vaccines cause autism. All stated definitively that they do not. In addition, the witnesses all said parents should have their children vaccinated. Widespread vaccination is especially important for those who have severe illnesses or are immune-compromised and thus unable to receive the vaccine. These children rely on community or "herd" immunity.

Murphy also questioned panelists on why this year's flu vaccine is such a poor match to the virus (click here to watch WPXI's story, "Rep. Tim Murphy leads federal hearing on flu vaccine's effectiveness").

More than six months ago, the CDC saw evidence of a flu vaccine mismatch above the 20 to 30 percent range considered to be a significant concern for public health authorities. Nevertheless, the CDC chose to proceed with manufacturing a less-than-effective vaccine. It is estimated the vaccine will be only 23 percent effective for the general population, and just 12% for the elderly. An estimated 50,000 people will die and over 200,000 will be hospitalized from the flu, according to CDC data.

Murphy noted that the CDC should have created a 'plan B' like it did in 2009, when there was an outbreak of deadly swine flu. At that time, federal agencies declared a public health emergency and responded by producing a single strain vaccine to protect the public. This year, however, the CDC chose not to move forward with a 'plan B.' Murphy said he would continue to investigate and review why that did not happen.

Gov. Watchdog Report Reveals Stunning Failures in Fed Mental Health System

This week the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan government watchdog tracking where and how federal taxpayer funds are spent, released a stunning new report entitled, "Mental Health: HHS Leadership Needed to Coordinate Federal Efforts Related to Serious Mental Illness."

The report, worked on at the request of Oversight Chairman Tim Murphy, details an alarming lack of coordination across eight federal agencies managing 112 different mental health programs. As part of Murphy's ongoing investigation into the nation's mental health system, the GAO found the federal government is spending more than $130 billion annually on mental health while rates of suicide, homeless, and incarceration among those with mental illness have been steadily increasing year to year.

"This GAO report is a much-needed wake-up call. The federal government's approach to addressing mental illness is a convoluted and disjointed mess," said Murphy while announcing an Oversight hearing on Wednesday to examine the report in detail with Oversight Subcommittee members.

"Shame on us if we don't take action and work on fixing the system-wide failures identified in this report so that we can focus resources on helping those in desperate need of medical services for treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and chronic depression."

The report makes specific criticism of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which is statutorily directed by Congress to both coordinate federal mental health programs and serve as the lead public health agency for those individuals with mental illness.

GAO stated, "Although SAMHSA is charged with promoting coordination across the federal government regarding mental illness, its efforts to lead coordination -- specifically on serious mental illness -- across agencies have been lacking."

Last year, Rep. Murphy's Oversight Committee conducted an investigation that revealed a litany of SAMHSA's questionable spending, including $22,500 to commission a painting, more than $80,000 on a staff-directed musical skit, and hundreds of thousands of dollars on questionable conferences (such as "Unleash the Beast") during which individuals with serious mental illness were encouraged to stop taking their medications.

Chairman Murphy has been advancing bipartisan legislation, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, to bring oversight and accountability to mental health spending. His legislation would create an Assistant Sectary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse who would be responsible for eliminating waste, consolidating duplicative programs, and expanding policies that work.

One of the most successful programs that would be expanded under his bipartisan legislation is the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. This week, Rep. Murphy met with Dr. Tony Mannarino, from Allegheny General Hospital, part of the national network. Since its inception, the network has developed and distributed more than 40 evidence-based treatments and promising practices for children experiencing traumatic stress. The network will be reauthorized in the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.

Congressman Murphy will continue makes announcements about progress on the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act in his weekly e-newsletter. Please stay tuned for additional details.

Marty, Murphy Work to Fulfill Navy Veteran's Last Wish

The United States Navy reports 1,000 burials at sea for veterans approximately every year. Sea Burial date back to the 1400s and the United States Navy and Coast Guard conduct the ceremony with full military honors for veterans free of charge.

Cheryl Beeman of West Deer, a veteran of 15 years with the United States Navy passed away on November 26, 2013 with a request to be buried at sea. Sadly, her family has not been able to fulfill her last wish because of the barriers and bureaucratic red tape in attempting to fulfill her final wishes. At one point, the Navy even lost her file, keeping the family in waiting for more than a year.

Exhausted by the run-around, the Beeman family contacted KDKA's Marty Griffin thanks to his tenacious advocacy for veterans in the region. Marty, encountering some of the same bureaucratic obstacles, partnered with Congressman Tim Murphy, a Lt. Commander in the Navy Reserve, to resolve the issue so Mrs. Beeman's request could be honored and be laid to rest at sea. Click here to watch the KDKA-TV story. Marty also discussed the ordeal on his radio show this morning (click here to listen). Cheryl Beeman will be transported to Virginia on February 10 and soon after she will be buried at sea.

If you are a constituent of Congressman Murphy's in the 18th Congressional District needing help with Veterans Affairs or Defense Department casework, please contact his Mount Lebanon office at 412-344-5583 or his Greensburg office at 724-850-7312.

Murphy Supports Full ACA Repeal; Congress Begins Crafting Replacement

On Tuesday Congressman Murphy joined with 238 of his colleagues as the House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 56) to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in its entirety. In addition, H.R. 56 directs a number of House Committees to immediately begin work on legislation to lower insurance premiums for families, to preserve the doctor-patient relationship, to allow people who like their plans to keep them, and to ensure those with preexisting conditions have access to affordable, quality coverage. Rep. Murphy, a senior member of the House Doctors Caucus and on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, has committed his efforts towards helping drafting a new healthcare bill.

As Chairman Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Murphy has taken the lead on ACA congressional oversight efforts, bringing many of ACA's flaws to light. In 2013, he released a report entitled "Rate Shock" revealing a triple digit rate increase that would fall on those in the individual, small and large group insurance markets under the ACA, which ultimately proved to be true for thousands of families in Southwestern Pennsylvania and millions across the country.

In addition to moving forward on repealing the ACA, members from both chambers unveiled a comprehensive replacement to the President's healthcare law this week. On Thursday, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton along with two key senators released a draft of the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment Act to return healthcare decision-making to individuals -- not the federal government. The Patient CARE Act removes all of the ACA's taxes and employer mandates, while retaining protections for individuals with preexisting conditions and banning lifetime limits on coverage. Rep. Murphy is currently reviewing the proposal as welcomes his constituents to weigh in.

President's 'New' Budget Offers More of the Same

On Monday, the White House released its 2016 budget request as Congress begins the annual process of passing twelve separate bills to fund government agencies in the next fiscal year.

Presidential budget plans are historically known to include ideas and policy proposals to place the country on sound fiscal footing over the long-run. For example, while Medicare and Social Security are both scheduled to go bankrupt around 2030, the President's budget has no plan to save it. In addition, the Social Security fund to provide payments to the disabled (SSDI) is still scheduled to go bankrupt next year in 2016. No plan was included to address this shortfall, either. Even more concerning: the President's plan calls for $74 billion in new spending on discretionary programs relative to current law. Over the next ten years, spending under his budget increases by $2.4 trillion coupled with $2.1 trillion in tax increases.

Policymakers have expressed concern that since the budget never fully balances, federal taxpayers are forced to pay higher interest rates on new debt. This year, interest on the debt costs taxpayers $229 billion. The White House budget more than triples interest costs, which remain the fastest growing item in the budget. At the end of President's plan, annual interest costs would be larger than his proposed spending for national defense, Medicaid or the combined total of all non-defense agency spending.

The House Budget Committee has begun work on its own budget plan. The proposal could come up for a vote this spring and will then need to be married with whatever plan is produced by the Senate.

Tax Season Fraud Alert: Phone Scams

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a public alert of nationwide IRS phone scams. These scammers often demand money to pay off tax debts, threaten with legal action for taxes due on prior year tax filings, and try to defraud individuals by saying you are owed a tax refund to lure you into giving them banking or other private financial information. Scammers may sound convincing when they call as they may already know some personal information and have fake IRS employee ID numbers. Additionally, scammers have been found to 'spoof' their phone number so that it looks like the IRS is calling when you look at your caller ID. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has received 90,000 complaints related to this IRS phone scam, and estimates that thieves have stolen an estimated $5 million from approximately 1,100 victims.

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