The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) advocacy team monitors healthcare related legislation, rule changes, and legislative updates for Ohio’s family physicians.
To access the OAFP Bill Tracker, visit the OAFP Public Policy webpage and click on the Bill Tracker icon.
Read on for this week’s updates and contact Advocacy Coordinator Kaela Springhetti with questions or for ways to get involved.
August Issue of the AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released its August issue of Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds, a monthly tip sheet to educate, engage, and update you on the latest policy issues affecting family physicians and their patients.
- AAFP Shares Summary of 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
- AAFP Shares Recommendations on Medicare Advantage Plans
- Family Physicians Call on Lawmakers to Support Family Medicine During August Recess
- Decision to Pull mRNA Vaccine Funding Alarms Leading Physician Groups
- AAFP to CMS: Support Family Physicians in Rural Communities
- CMS Finalizes 2026 IPPS Rule
- AAFP Weighs in on Health IT Certification Rule
- Family Physicians Crucial in Providing Maternity Care in U.S.
Speak Out: Oppose the ECAPS Act and Protect Physician-Led Primary Care
Source: The American Academy of Family Physicians
The AAFP is asking members to join its efforts in fighting against the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS), legislation that could undermine the safety and quality of care for millions of Medicare patients introduced in both chambers of Congress.
The ECAPS Act would allow pharmacists to independently provide direct patient care without the training or tools to diagnose or manage complex conditions.
While pharmacists are essential members of the care team, they are not trained to replace physicians. This bill risks fragmented care, misdiagnosis, and increased costs, especially for seniors with chronic conditions.
Please take two minutes to participate in this Speak Out. Together, we can ensure a stronger healthcare system for all. Thank you for your commitment to protecting our physicians and improving patient care.
HPIO Releases First in A Series of Fact Sheets on Healthcare Access and Affordability in Ohio
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) has released a new fact sheet that outlines major federal and Ohio healthcare access and affordability policy changes.
The fact sheet provides a high-level summary of several provisions of HR 1, the federal reconciliation bill sometimes referred to as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” along with information about related changes contained in House Bill 96, the state biennial budget bill.
Among many other provisions, these pieces of legislation contain Medicaid and health insurance policy changes. For example, according to estimates from KFF, Ohio is expected to lose more than $33 billion dollars in federal Medicaid funding compared to baseline over the next decade as a result of HR 1, as illustrated above.
In the coming months, HPIO plans to release several briefs that will explore how these changes are likely to impact healthcare affordability in Ohio. Many of the one in four Ohioans (about 3 million people) who have health coverage through Ohio’s Medicaid program and the more than 580,000 Ohioans who have health insurance obtained through the federal marketplace are expected to experience the most significant impacts of these changes.
- Jennifer Tolbert, MPH, MSW, Director of State Health Policy and Data and Deputy Director Program on Medicaid & Uninsured, KFF
- Adam Searing, JD, MPH, Associate Professor, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, Center for Children and Families.
‘DEI’ Grants on the Chopping Block: Supreme Court Sides with Trump on NIH Research
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
The Trump Administration can cancel $783 million in health research funding it says promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Supreme Court said on August 21 in its latest ruling that allows the president to move forward with policy changes being challenged in court.
Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberals said they would have kept the cuts on hold.
The court kept on hold the government’s guidance that it would not approve future funding related to DEI objectives, gender identity, or COVID-19. But a majority agreed with the administration that the dispute over cuts to existing grants belonged in a different court.
The high court’s ruling comes after a federal judge in Massachusetts found that the administration’s termination of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants was “breathtakingly arbitrary and capricious” and supported with “sparse pseudo-reasoning.”
U.S. District Judge William Young, who was appointed to the bench by Republican President Ronald Reagan, also said the grant cancellations represented “racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community.”
“I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination is so palpable,” Judge Young said during a June hearing.
Read the full article in The Columbus Dispatch.