APMA News - January 2013 - (Page 40)

Federal Advocacy Forum By Seth A. Rubenstein, DPM Persevering in the 113th A new year, another four-year term for President Barack Obama, and the convening of the 113th Congress all bring with them a renewed sense of purpose and opportunity for APMA in our federal legislative advocacy efforts. I know some members may be somewhat fatigued and frustrated that we have not yet attained our legislative goal of defining DPMs as physicians under Medicaid. As many members know, bills not enacted into law during a two-year session of Congress effectively “die” and must be re-introduced in the next session. It is important to realize, however, that perseverance is one of the keys to the realm of successful legislative advocacy and that our legislative agenda is not one-dimensional. APMA is advocating for podiatric physicians and surgeons on many fronts—playing offense on some issues and defense on others—and has succeeded in making our name and presence known in Washington, DC. We are creating important gains for our profession related to provider non-discrimination in health reform, durable medical equipment accreditation, surety bond exemption, and Health Information Technology incentives, just to name a few. The process for passing legislation is long and arduous and generally takes years. To date, APMA’s Medicaid inclusion measure has not taken any longer to work its way through the legislative process than other similar legislation—many physician groups have been working for years on issues like these and have not yet reached the legislative finish line. Most bills are introduced then referred to a committee of jurisdiction, and nothing further happens with them. In the 111th Congress, fewer than 3 percent of the 13,675 bills introduced actually became law. This statistic does not count the “stand-alone” bills passed as attachments to other bills. Nevertheless, the overall percentage of bills passed in each session of Congress remains minuscule. Despite the uphill climb—and the unfavorable climate of partisan divide and a tight budgetary picture—our past successes and ongoing efforts to educate elected officials and policymakers about podiatric physicians and surgeons have laid a solid foundation of bipartisan cosponsor support for our Medicaid access legislation. The essential task before us is to build on this foundation and garner significantly more cosponsors in 2013. I implore every member to take just a few minutes to visit www.apma.org/medicaidbill, where you 40 APMA News January 2013 can access information to easily call or write your elected officials and urge them to cosponsor this important bill. Though nearly 100 new members were sworn in when the 113th Congress convened this month, there will be little change within the leadership and committee structure of both chambers when the new Congress begins its work. Both parties remain deeply divided politically, but there have been comments by President Obama, as well as by the leadership in both the house and senate, that suggest they are willing to reach across the aisle to address the ongoing and looming fiscal and debt challenges confronting the country. And where there is talk of deficit reduction, both the Medicaid and Medicare programs are likely to be in for changes. As the 113th Congress begins, I am pleased to report to members that we are developing some exciting new tools and resources to enhance the grassroots and grasstops mobilization and advocacy process, making it easier for members, the Legislative Committee, and the Board of Trustees to be involved. We are also investing in the services of a premier health-care lobbying firm to work on our behalf to enhance APMA’s lobbying presence and impact on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies. We hope that one facet of these plans will be to have the APMA board engage for the first time in a day of Capitol Hill meetings in mid-February to kick off our grasstops legislative advocacy efforts earlier than ever before. This initiative will augment the impact of our annual legislative conference nearly a month later in March when we anticipate several hundred APMA members will make lobbying visits to Capitol Hill to promote our advocacy agenda. I look forward to sharing more details about these efforts in the near future. Just as many Americans greet the new year with resolutions and plans to improve ourselves, here at APMA we resolve to make positive and effective changes to our federal advocacy efforts, to re-engage all members in new and innovative ways to protect and enhance podiatric medicine, and to make strategic investments to increase our voice and presence in the policymaking process. We need the support and participation of every APMA member now that the new Congress has convened. We can and will achieve our goal with your help. n APMA Trustee Seth A. Rubenstein, DPM, can be reached at sarubenstein@apma.org. http://www.apma.org/medicaidbill

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - January 2013

APMA News - January 2013
President’s Message
Contents
Dr. Wenstrup Goes to Washington
A Son’s Tribute to His Father, a 9/11 Hero
Podiatrists Golf for a Good Cause, Raise More than $500,000
CAC-PIAC Attendees Learn How Relationships Can Literally Pay Off
Creating the Future: A 2012 Retrospective on Advocacy by State Components
Profile in Progress: MPMA Gets It Done
Editorial: Understanding the Needs of the Current Generation of Learners
Find Out What’s New and Exciting for The National in 2013
Next Young Physicians’ Institute Slated for April
2012 Podiatric Practice Survey: Years in Practice and Board Certification Qualification by Primary Practice Arrangement Type
Annual Scientific Meeting Registration Form
Federal Advocacy Forum
APMAPAC Chair Report
IT Consultant
Website Wisdom
Small Business 101
CPME Update
In Short
Worthy of Note
Affiliates Corner
List of Affiliated Organizations
Insurance Advisor
Seeking Award Nominations
New Members
Death Notices
APMAPAC Update
Resolutions Deadlines
Annual Meeting Sponsors
Development Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions
Your APMA

APMA News - January 2013