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.
September Issue of AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released its September 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 Fall Priorities with Policymakers
- AAFP Responds to ACIP Decisions
- Family Physicians Call on the President to Reconsider Secretary Kennedy’s Ability to Serve
- Physician Leaders Call on Lawmakers to Support Access to Care
- Family Physicians Spotlight Priorities in 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
- AAFP Continues to Fight for Student Debt Relief Options.
AAFP Speak Out Opportunity
Source: The American Academy of Family Physicians
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is asking members to join its efforts in prioritizing family medicine. On September 21, a new federal Proclamation took effect imposing a $100,000 fee on employers seeking to hire new employees, including physicians, through the H-1B visa program. This threatens the ability of international medical graduates to train and practice in the United States even though these physicians are critical to our nation’s healthcare system. The AAFP, along with other medical organizations, is urging Secretary Kristi Noem to categorically exempt all physicians, including residents, fellows, researchers, and non-clinical physicians, from this harmful visa application fee.
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.
Bipartisan U.S. House Group Working on Deal to Extend ACA Subsidies
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
House centrists are discussing the outlines of a possible compromise to extend Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies in hopes of jump-starting stalled talks over the soon-to-expire tax credits that have also emerged as a key fault line in the brewing government shutdown.
The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus has privately broached whether an income cap should be imposed on who can benefit from the subsidies. Several Republicans in the group have floated a $200,000 cap, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the talks.
More than 20 million Americans currently benefit from the enhanced subsidies, which were enacted by Democrats under President Joe Biden in 2021. Some Republicans are now open to extending them, though many are pushing for new curbs to bring down the cost. The income cap is a bare minimum demand for many Republicans.
Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing for a permanent extension as part of government funding talks ahead of the Tuesday, September 30, shutdown deadline. Some centrist Democrats have been willing to discuss concessions, though they are wary of publicly supporting any new limitations at this point.
Columbus Medical Experts Push Back on Trump’s Claims About Tylenol and Autism
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Farrah Hussain, MD, is concerned because she’s already seeing pregnant patients in her Columbus, OH, office who’ve stopped taking Tylenol.
Her patients are scared after a recent extraordinary address from the Oval Office where President Donald Trump linked autism in children to using the medicine during pregnancy.
However, Dr. Hussain, an OB-GYN at OhioHealth, said decades of evidence shows that acetaminophen, sold under the brand name Tylenol, is the safest treatment for pain and fever during pregnancy. Untreated fever can be risky for both mother and baby, Dr. Hussain said.
“I know as a parent there’s definitely a lot of fear and you want to do what’s right,” Dr. Hussain said. “As always I recommend speaking with your physician. Trust the expertise of your physicians. We have taken an oath to protect our patients.”
Columbus Health Commissioner Mysheika Roberts, MD, MPH, said listen to your medical provider, “not a politician.”
Medical experts across the country and around the world are pushing back against the unsubstantiated claims President Trump and his administration made on September 22 linking autism to Tylenol and vaccines. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can impact communication, sensory processing and social interactions.
Read the full article in The Columbus Dispatch.
GOP Bill Would Create 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period in Ohio
Source: The Dayton Daily News
Two Republican lawmakers are hoping to pass a bill that would require women in Ohio to be informed of the physical and mental risks associated with abortion and the other options available to them at least 24 hours before a procedure.
House Bill 347, alternatively titled the “Share the Health and Empower with Informed Notices,” or the “SHE WINS” Act, was introduced in June by Representatives Mike Odioso (R-Green Twp., OH) and Josh Williams (R-Sylvania, OH). The two men recently provided sponsor testimony in the Ohio House Health Committee hearing.
Their proposal would apply only to elective abortions in Ohio, according to a legal analysis of the bill by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Commission.
As written, the bill would require a physician to obtain informed consent from a patient at least 24 hours before an abortion procedure and only after meeting with the patient (in person or via telephone or virtual meeting) to discuss who would perform or induce the abortion; what method would be used; the “long-term medical risks associated” with the procedure; the medical risks associated with carrying the pregnancy to term; and the alternatives to abortion, like adoption and parenting.
The bill defines complications as “any adverse physical or psychological condition arising from an abortion,” which could range from blood clots to mental-health effects.
The bill does not, however, specify exactly what information needs to be provided, Rep. Williams said.
“There’s no requirement of what information is actually provided, nor the particular type of material that needs to be provided, just that the information is given,” said Rep. Williams.
Read the full article in The Dayton Daily News.