Stay Informed

Sign up for updates from the Congresswoman!



Congress On Your Corner

Photo Gallery

Where's Nancy

Veterans History Project

Fram Nancy's Desk

Email Friend Print

Congress in Your Inbox - Partisanship Limits Health Care for Kansans

A Note from Nancy

Dear Friend, 

If ever you needed a reminder of how important elections are, it came this week. On July 1st, Medicare became a lot worse for almost everyone. Last week, Congress had a chance to do something about it. In the House, where every member is up for re-election this November, the fix-it bill passed by a vote of 355 to 59 despite strong opposition from the President.

Unfortunately, only one third of the Senate is up for re-election this year. When the Senate voted, the 50 Democrats (Sen. Kennedy is still away fighting cancer) were joined by all of the Republicans facing tough re-election races in the fall. However, almost all the rest, including Senator Brownback, stuck with the President, and the fix fell one vote short of the 60 votes needed.

So as of this Tuesday, Medicare got worse. Doctors and other providers saw their payments cut by 10.6 percent. Those in rural areas had their payments cut even more. The bonus payments that allow rural areas to keep their laboratories and ambulance services expired. Patients who need rehab therapy now face tight caps on their number of sessions. In Kansas City and nine other metro areas, most businesses that provide wheelchairs, oxygen and other durable medical equipment were kicked out of Medicare.

The bill we voted on blocked all of these changes. It also made some improvements to Medicare, including help for pharmacies, rural clinics, and low-income seniors, and it did it without increasing the debt.

The President opposed the bill because we proposed paying for the fix and the improvements by cutting an insurance company subsidy called Medicare Advantage. That pointless subsidy will cost taxpayers $65 billion over the next five years.

I think cutting this wasteful subsidy and using the money to fix and improve Medicare is darn good policy. I think that the American people think it’s darn good policy, and I think people in Washington know it. That’s why everyone who has to answer to the voters in November supported this fix-it bill.

Democracy is a team sport. This is a great example of why you need to be part of the debate.

With warm regards, 

Nancy Boyda
Member of Congress 


Casework Corner – Disasters in Finance: The Advantages of Direct Deposit
By: Joshua Jacobs, District Intern

Congresswoman Boyda and her office encourage residents who receive federal monetary aid to apply for direct deposit. Whether it is through Social Security, Veteran Affairs or any other federal agency, we want to make sure that you get the aid you need. Such preventative measures will allow your bank account to continue receiving payments even during impeding events, such as a natural disaster or a vacation. 

In disastrous circumstances such as a natural disaster, the post office may be unable to deliver your mail the day you expect it to arrive. Also, if you are temporarily away from the house, you will not be able to cash your paper checks until you return home to check your mail. By applying for direct deposit, the aid you expect will be automatically transferred to your bank account. Direct deposit is the quickest, easiest, and safest way to receive payments from federal agencies.

(Continue Reading


Letter of the Week - Nancy Opposes FDA Crackdown on Pharmacies 

Dear Nancy,

As a pharmacist and one of your constituents, I strongly urge you to co-sponsor a Sense of the Congress resolution supporting my ability to fill doctors' prescriptions for medications that contain estriol. Hundreds of thousands of women are prescribed these medications to treat the painful symptoms of menopause.

H. Con. Res. 342 has been introduced in the House by Reps. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), and S. Con. Res. 88 has been introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). These resolutions declare that a new FDA policy that restricts patients' access to estriol is "not in the public interest."

Paul from Manhattan, KS.

Dear Paul,

Thank you for contacting me about compounded hormone replacement therapies. Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its crackdown in January, I have heard from dozens of concerned Kansans, and I want to let you know that I have signed on to a resolution, H. Con. Res. 342, opposing the FDA’s decision to ban estriol.

On January 9, 2008, the FDA announced that it was responding to citizens’ petitions and cracking down on pharmacies that were compounding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) pills and creams for the treatment of menopause. 

(Continue Reading


This Week in Congress - June 23 to June 27 

Before heading to the airport on Monday, I recorded an interview with Steve Lardy for KLKC.  I met with representatives from the American Nurses Association on Tuesday, as well as representatives from the cancer advocacy group Cure Search. I also attended an Agriculture Committee Hearing on trading in energy markets,

I spoke at a meeting Wednesday hosted by the Missouri - Kansas Forum, which is a group representing Kansas and Missouri business and community leaders in D.C. I also accompanied Alex Kim, the winner of the Congressional Arts Competition from the Second District, to a reception where he was recognized for his excellent work. In addition, I met with representatives from the Kansas Licensed Beverage Association and attended an Armed Services Committee hearing on recent security developments with respect to China.

I met with Todd Roberts of the KNEA on Thursday and two students from the National Young Leaders Conference - Alex Clark, a junior at Lawrence Free State High School, and Sarah Strohkorb, a sophomore at Washburn Rural High School. I also met with Stephen Serrano, the Kansas State Winner of the National Institute of Peace Essay Contest. Stephen is a student at Topeka West High School. I attended a reception that evening sponsored by VFW and Vietnam Veterans of America recognizing advocacy leaders who work on behalf of our veterans.

I had the opportunity on Friday to tour the inside of the Capitol Dome with Ben Berlin, the Congressional Page from the Second District.