Slagle Takes S. 301 Campaign To Washington


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Slagle Takes S. 301 Campaign To Washington

Steve Slagle, CAE, PPAI president and CEO, traveled to Washington, D.C., last Thursday to take the Association's industry concerns straight to Capitol Hill.

After a brief strategy session with PPAI General Counsel John Satagaj and PPAI lobbyist Robert Drummer, Slagle and Drummer met with Stephanie Carlton, healthcare aide to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to express PPAI’s opposition to S. 301, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. Sen. Cornyn, as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, is responsible for this issue on a national level.

“We had the opportunity to address the threat S. 301 poses to our industry and explain that the bill, if passed in its current form, would effectively prohibit the distribution of promotional products to healthcare professionals,” says Slagle. “The reality is that if every item must be reported, many companies will choose to give nothing of value rather than report on each item.”

Slagle explained that as written, the bill requires drug and medical supply manufacturers to report transfers of any value, including promotional products, to physicians once the $100 ceiling has been reached over the course of a year. The legislation doesn’t include a reasonable minimum dollar exclusion (for example $25), so even if a logoed item such as a pen, coffee mug or legal pad has a value of less than $25, it must be tracked to determine if the $100 annual reporting requirement is met.

Without a reasonable minimum dollar exclusion, medical supply companies and drug companies may not order promotional products to avoid the paperwork headache associated with tracking and reporting these items.

Additionally, Slagle stressed that the legislation must include language that preempts states from enacting even more stringent reporting and/or de minimis requirements. He also explained the impact this will likely have on the entire country, particularly in terms of sales volume, jobs and companies nationwide.

“It was a very productive meeting,” he says. “In addition to the broader economic impact this piece of legislation would have on the industry overall, we were able to break down our concerns to a much more personal level—as an example, we shared the number of promotional products companies based in Texas, how many Texans are employed in the industry as well as annual sales of promotional products in Texas. Ms. Carlton was both impressed and surprised by those numbers.

“I’m very pleased to have had the opportunity to take our concerns directly to Washington, D.C. Now that we have the attention of Senator Cornyn’s office, it is time for us to go into a full-court press,” says Slagle. “I call on everyone in the industry to join me in sending a message of concern regarding S. 301 to Washington. Please call, e-mail, fax and write your individual senators and encourage others to do the same. Together we can reach a critical tipping point and protect our industry.”

Slagle also expressed his thanks to Sen. Cornyn for co-sponsoring S. 803, the Healthy Workforce Act. The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, proposes to offer tax credits to employers who implement wellness programs.

Calling scripts, sample e-mails and state-based contact lists are all available at www.PPAILAW.org or by contacting Anne Lardner, senior manager, public affairs, at AnneL@ppai.org or 972-258-3041.

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