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.
Statement from Leading Physician Groups on Announcement to Withdraw U.S. from the World Health Organization
Source: The American Academy of Family Physicians
The statement below is issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, and the American Psychiatric Association:
“The recent announcement to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) will limit our ability to collaborate and coordinate on public health issues that impact individuals and their families here and around the globe. As leading medical organizations representing more than 600,000 physicians in the United States, we share the goal of safe, healthy, and disease-free patients and communities. Remaining part of the WHO is one way we can ensure our nation’s success in achieving this goal for all the patients we care for.
“For more than 70 years, the WHO has played a leading a role in protecting, supporting, and promoting public health in the United States and around the world. Withdrawing from the WHO will hamper our country’s ability to predict and respond to major public health emergencies and limit access, communication and information sharing to a global network of health professionals.
“We urge Congress to reject the administration’s proposal to withdraw from the WHO and ensure the United States can continue to have a seat at the table where critical public health decisions are being made.”
AAFP Engagement in Trump Administration Executive Orders & Executive Actions
Source: AAFP EVP & CEO Shawn Martin; January 23, 2025
On January 20, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Over the past three days, the President and his administration have issued a significant number of Executive Orders and taken Executive Actions on a range of topics impacting large swaths of the economy (including healthcare), immigration, trade, and foreign affairs.
Let me begin by making it clear that we fully recognize the intended and unintended consequences these executive actions will have on individuals and communities. We also acknowledge that the lack of clarity surrounding these actions has contributed to the confusion and anxiety many are feeling. True to our tradition, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) will, to the best of its ability, prioritize providing timely and accurate information to its members and state chapters regarding these executive actions, as well as other legislative and regulatory matters that affect your practices, patients, and communities. Moreover, the AAFP will continue to ensure that its shared values remain at the forefront of its work and in both internal and external communications on these and all issues.
With this said, I wanted to share how the AAFP is approaching and managing this important work. The AAFP team is rapidly analyzing the White House Executive Actions that impact healthcare, the healthcare system, and the healthcare workforce. As the AAFP compiles accurate information, it will begin sharing more insights. The AAFP is also taking action on some issues either directly or indirectly through coalitions and partnerships.
- They are statements of intent, signaling priority areas for the incoming administration. They don’t always have the full effect of law or regulation, and they are not always enforceable independent of other actions by the United States Congress, an agency, or through the rulemaking process.
- Often times, they are reversals of previous executive actions. Presidents may, at their discretion, reverse executive actions taken by a previous President.
- They are directives to promulgate rulemaking to enact a change in policy. This is the approach that tends to be the most controversial and the most challenging to implement.
The President of the United States has significant authority, but that power is not absolute. For instance, a president cannot halt the enforcement of a law or treaty that already exists, nor can they permanently cut funding for programs that Congress has previously authorized. Only Congress has the power to pass laws and approve federal spending. While the President and the Administration can manage how appropriated funds are allocated and oversee the operation of programs, they must do so in a way that aligns with Congress’s intent.
Throughout history, some administrations have tried to bypass the will of Congress or disregard existing laws. When this happens, such actions are often challenged in court. This is the type of legal scrutiny we’re currently witnessing, and it’s likely to continue as legal challenges are raised against executive actions that are seen as overstepping the constitutional authority granted to the President and the executive branch.
We will continue to provide updates moving forward on the work of the AAFP. Furthermore, we will strive to provide timely and accurate information on the executive actions, regulations, and laws that impact you, your practice, your patients and your community. I am cognizant of the impact uncertainty brings and the real-life impacts many of these issues have on each of you and the people you care for and about.
As always, please let me know how the AAFP can better support you and your colleagues.
January Issue of AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released its January 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 Welcomes 119th Congress
- Seven Bold Policies to Reshape Rural Healthcare
- AAFP Responds to New FDA Proposed Nicotine Rules
- New Report Shows U.S. Overdose Rate Higher Than Other Countries’.
AAFP Joins New Advocacy Coalitions on Tax Reform and Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Source: The American Academy of Family Physicians
In anticipation of tax reform being a primary policy focus in the 119th Congress, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has joined the American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) new coalition, the Community Impact Coalition, which is dedicated to protecting the status of nonprofit 501(c)3 associations, like the AAFP and state chapters.
Many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are due to expire in 2025 as well as key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Given the large price tag associated with maintaining or expanding upon many of the tax provisions in both the TCJA and the IRA, Congress will be seeking ways in which to pay for any tax legislation that moves forward. There are concerns in the nonprofit space that removing or greatly reducing the tax-exempt status of nonprofits will be one of the “pay-fors” that Congress could consider.
The ASAE, of which the AAFP is an active member, has stated it will be spending upwards of $1 million in strategic advocacy and communications. The AAFP’s government relations staff is eager to work with the coalition and its diverse membership to underscore to Congress the vital role nonprofits play.
Separately, the AAFP also recently joined the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Coalition to advocate for regulatory and legislative actions to support and improve the PSLF program. This program provides student debt relief to individuals that serve at eligible nonprofit institutions and are enrolled in certain federal student debt loan repayment programs. Many AAFP members are participants in the PSLF program, and even more members could benefit from the program if additional flexibility for the program were to be implemented.
Columbus Seeks to Challenge Lawsuit Upending Health Privacy Laws, Abortion Record Access
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Columbus, OH, is seeking to join the fight against two federal lawsuits challenging healthcare privacy rules, including who has access to records of out-of-state abortions, according to recent court filings.
Columbus, the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and Doctors for America filed motions to join the Department of Health and Human Services as defendants in two cases in Texas, represented by national legal organization Democracy Forward. These cases challenge the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rules and a 2024 rule ensuring medical record privacy of people seeking abortions and other forms of reproductive care in states where it is legal, even if they don’t live there.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, where the motions were filed, has not yet approved or denied the motions.
The Case Down South
The state of Texas and the Texas-based medical doctor bringing the lawsuits claim that some federal privacy rules, which have been in place since 2000, limit state investigations and lack authority to judge what should and should not be shared with law enforcement.
They also claim that the 2024 privacy rule, enacted by former President Joe Biden’s administration, violates existing privacy rules and further undermines state authorities’ ability to investigate criminal cases, such as out-of-state abortions.
In Texas, following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion is illegal in nearly all situations, except when the life of the pregnant woman is at risk. Texas residents and anyone who helps them gain access to an abortion both in and out of state can be prosecuted.
“The privacy rules under threat are essential for all of us — so we can obtain care without our personal and sensitive health information being compromised,” Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman said in a news release. “Yet, the same extreme actors that have sought to ban and restrict reproductive healthcare are now trying to compromise these bedrock protections, and it is imperative that the courts reject these attempts.”
The Texas attorney general’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Read the full article in The Columbus Dispatch.