Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) visited the Arthritis Center of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Ark., in August to speak with local rheumatologist Michael Saitta, MD, to discuss the importance of access to osteoporosis screenings.
Increase Rheumatology’s Voice in the AMA
Each June, the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) House of Delegates Annual Meeting is held in Chicago, gathering representatives from various medical state and specialty societies to discuss and develop official policies of the AMA.
Support for Friends of Rheumatology
RheumPAC—the voluntary, nonpartisan political action committee of the ACR—works to support and elect pro-rheumatology candidates. RheumPAC representatives were busy in May meeting with supporters of the rheumatology community.
Advocates for Arthritis: My First Time on the Hill
When I first read the request for advocates to fly in to Washington D.C., I was intrigued and curious. I’ve heard of visits to Capitol Hill to present important medical issues but was not really sure how the process worked. Politics can seem daunting and complicated, but I know it is necessary to get Congress on board to address medical care. I was excited to be accepted and ready to learn how to best help my patients in the political arena.
Advocating for Arthritis: My First Time on the Hill
Amidst the most momentous week of the year’s tumultuous healthcare reform activities, we arrived in Washington, D.C., for the annual ACR Advocates for Arthritis Capitol Hill Fly-In. This was to be my first visit to Congress. Although my alma mater, Georgetown University, was a short distance from the Capitol dome, as a student I had little interest in the political process—particularly as it related to medicine. Now, however, as a young rheumatologist, I am increasingly aware of the impact health policy has on my daily practice. I have also watched the healthcare reform debate unfold over the last year, recognizing that this is a critical time for physicians to be vocal and active. There is a great deal at stake, and we are surrounded daily by the very issues debated in Washington. Why not take our opinions directly to the decision makers?
Leaders in Washington, D.C., Addresses Advocates for Arthritis Conference
This spring, 120 rheumatologists, rheumatology health professionals, and patient advocates travelled to Washington, D.C., for the ACR’s annual Advocates for Arthritis conference.
March Madness on the High Seas: Hoops and Healthcare as Bedfellows
Hoops and healthcare as bedfellows
The Most Cost-Effective Diagnosis Is the Correct Diagnosis
Comments on the Medicare decision to eliminate consultation codes
The Good and Bad of Healthcare Reform
Even though the law was passed, the work of reform is just beginning
In Advocacy, Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Earlier in the year, it seemed that healthcare reform was stopped in its tracks because of the Massachusetts Senate special election—which placed Republican Scott Brown in the seat held by the “Liberal Lion,” Edward M. Kennedy. The Senate Democrats lost their supermajority and the momentum to pass President Obama’s healthcare reform legislation subsided. But through strong lobbying by the president, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)—comprehensive healthcare reform—on March 21, and the president signed the bill into law on March 23.
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