RheumPAC: A Wise Investment to Let Your Voice Be Heard in Washington, D.C.

Rheumatology providers play a critical role in the well-being of patients. Unfortunately, many of the policy decisions that govern the delivery of rheumatology care are made by lawmakers without our input. So we have a critical responsibility to advocate on behalf of our patients to ensure they have access to rheumatology providers and effective treatments.

RheumPAC, the ACR’s nonpartisan political action committee (PAC), works to address this problem by educating and supporting federal legislators who are in positions to address the issues that impact rheumatology care providers and their patients. Every single dollar members donate to RheumPAC—no overhead or administration costs—goes directly to carefully chosen campaigns that give us the largest and most effective voice in Washington, D.C.

Read firsthand from your colleagues across the ACR and ARP about why they support RheumPAC and see it as an investment in the future of rheumatology.

Don’t Get Eaten

I donate to RheumPAC, because if you don’t have a seat at the table, you are on the menu!

Advocating for our patients and specialty in Washington, D.C., has shown me the importance of RheumPAC donations. I have been fortunate to participate in meetings with legislators that were made possible by RheumPAC. It opens doors to legislators who can enact beneficial policies for rheumatology professionals and our patients.

I appreciate that RheumPAC offers bipartisan support to vetted lawmakers who, regardless of which side of the aisle they are on, are supportive of our policies to protect and expand high-quality patient access to care.

I am proud that our small specialty has been able to make a difference for our patients through ACR advocacy efforts. Through the hard work of our volunteer leaders and ACR staff, I hope we can continue to grow our influence on Capitol Hill, but the onus is on each member of the ACR and ARP to step up to the plate and make that happen. Recent victories in evaluation and management valuation and fending off the Most Favored Nation CMS buy/bill demonstration project are only possible if we put our money where our collective mouth is.

Sean Fahey, MD
Piedmont Healthcare
Mooresville, N.C.

Funding Needs

As a physician-scientist in an academic center, I place utmost importance on such issues as research funding and workforce training. My donations to RheumPAC have resulted in discussions between the ACR and our lawmakers on research funding priorities, as well as expansion of workforce training and loan repayment programs, through the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense.