The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) advocacy team monitors healthcare related legislation throughout the legislative process.
Read on for this week’s updates and contact Workforce and Advocacy Manager Caitlin Laudeman with questions or ways to get involved.
Use Your Voice – Urge Congress to Prohibit Unreasonably Restrictive Noncompete Clauses!
Earlier this year, you urged Congress to support the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed rule to ban noncompete clauses in employment agreements. Now, the public comment period on the FTC’s proposed rule has ended, and it’s time for Congress to act to support family physicians by passing legislation to prohibit the use of unreasonably restrictive noncompete clauses. Speak Out today!
Noncompete agreements in healthcare can impede patient access to care and disrupt care continuity, limit physicians’ ability to choose their employer, exacerbate burnout, and stifle competition. We need national policy prohibiting unreasonably restrictive noncompete clauses in physician employment arrangements to ensure physicians like you can practice freely in your community and continue serving your patients! Your lawmakers need to hear from family physicians like you. Speak Out today and urge Congress to pass legislation prohibiting unreasonably restrictive noncompete clauses in employment contracts TODAY!
April AAFP Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds
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- AAFP Endorses the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act
- AAFP Responds to FTC Proposed Ban of Noncompete Clauses
- AAFP Applauds Final Prior Authorization Rule From CMS
- AAFP Alarmed by Federal Court Ruling Jeopardizing Care for Millions of Americans
- AAFP Recognizes Minority Health Month and Black Maternal Health Week
- Match Day 2023 Reinforces Need to Invest in Primary Care Workforce.
Senate Passes August Special Elections Authorization, 60% Threshold Bills
NEA Consulting Weekly Newsletter
The Senate passed legislation on April 19 that would authorize a special election for Tuesday, August 8, with a $20 million appropriation, as well as a joint resolution that would require future constitutional amendments to get 60% of the vote in order to be adopted. Meanwhile, an Ohio House committee passed a companion resolution after cutting off debate from opponents who had packed the hearing room, causing the audience to erupt, yelling “shame” at lawmakers. The Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 (primary sponsors Rob McColley (R-Napoleon, OH) and Thersea Gavarone (R-Bowling Green, OH), which would set the threshold for ballot passage of constitutional amendments at 60%, along a party-line vote.
House Republicans Officially Endorse Work Requirements for Medicaid Recipients
The Hill’s Healthcare Newsletter
House republicans introduced a proposal “to require Medicaid recipients to work, be looking for work, or take part in some other ‘community engagement’ for 80 hours per month.” Exceptions are included and cover people with dependent children, under the age of 19, over the age of 56, recipients who are “physically or mentally unfit” for work, and those enrolled in an educational program.
Per Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “Our plan ensures adults without dependents earn a paycheck and learn new skills,” Speaker McCarthy said. “By restoring these common sense measures, we can help more Americans earn a paycheck, learn new skills, reduce childhood poverty, and rebuild the workforce.”
Medicaid work requirements are not a new GOP policy. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) previously estimated that work requirements could trim federal spending by $135 billion over 10 years; but mainly because more than 2 million people would lose health benefits for failing to comply with the requirements as a result. The CBO also said the changes would not increase employment much. As the Kaiser Family Foundation notes, most Medicaid-eligible adults who qualify through non-disability pathways already work. Read the full article in The Hill.
HB68 Banning Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Minors Receives First Hearing
NEA Consulting Weekly Newsletter
Legislation banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors received its first hearing in the House Public Health Policy Committee on April 19. Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery, OH) said his House Bill (HB) 68 is necessary to protect children from receiving surgeries and taking medications they may regret in the future, while Democrats on the committee, some of whom are medical doctors, argued the bill prohibits Ohioans from receiving legitimate medical treatments and blocks parental rights.
Rep. Click said the Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act would prohibit medical professionals from providing minors with puberty blockers, hormones, or surgeries for the purpose of gender transitioning. It would also require mental health providers to screen for comorbidities before diagnosing children with gender dysphoria. The OAFP strongly opposes the bill as it is in direct opposition to the organization’s legislative priority to minimize legislative interference into the practice of medicine.
Biden Administration Announces Program to Ensure Access to Free COVID Vaccines, Treatment for Uninsured
The Hill’s Healthcare Newsletter
The Biden administration has announced the launch of a program aimed at giving uninsured individuals access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments as the end of the national public health emergency nears and the financial obligations of covering these medicines shift to the private sector. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the “HHS Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Program” on April 19, describing it as a “$1.1 billion public-private partnership” to provide coronavirus treatments to the uninsured.
The national public health emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic is scheduled to end on Thursday, May 11. As the U.S. transitions out of the pandemic era of SARS-CoV-2, private health insurance companies are expected to take on the cost of vaccines. HHS acknowledged this incoming transition and laid out two parts of its uninsured vaccination program.
First, the department will make use of preexisting safety net programs implemented by local health departments and HHS. Under this plan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will purchase COVID-19 vaccines at a discount and distribute them through state and local health departments. Secondly, HHS stated it plans to establish contracts with pharmacies that will allow them to continue to provide coronavirus treatments like Paxlovid free of charge to the uninsured. The federal program will provide pharmacies with per-dose payments for vaccines and treatments. Read the full article in The Hill.