This bill, she says, is the “number one most talked-about piece of legislation by our members” and has been met with bipartisan support, with co-sponsorship by half of the U.S. House of Representatives as of early October. On Oct. 20, the companion bill was introduced in the Senate.
Another piece of legislation that has successfully been re-introduced—the Safe Step Act—would lessen hazards patients face with regard to step therapy requirements, in which an insurer requires a certain treatment to be tried before others, even if a patient has been on a different effective treatment for years. The legislation would create a list of exceptions to these step therapy policies to help keep patients on safe, effective treatment.
Other efforts underway include support for the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program, which provides incentives for rheumatologists to work in underserved areas, and work to avoid a series of cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates, which together would amount to a nearly 10% reduction for rheumatologists.
“One of the concerns this year that makes it different than every other year, where we’re having a similar fight, is that this is three different huge issues, and all three have to be dealt with differently,” Ms. McDaniel says.
Constituent Voices
Dr. Jessee and Ms. McDaniel say they hope the session continues to raise awareness of the ACR’s efforts and motivates ACR members to advocate as well, whether by contacting their representatives or sharing their views on important issues with the media.
“A member of Congress only cares what I have to say because I represent members of their actual district who vote for them,” Ms. McDaniel says. “If they’re not hearing from those people, then what I say means a lot less, and they’re less likely to take action on it.”
Dr. Jessee says education on the issues can inspire rheumatologists to get more involved, which is now easier than ever due to newly created virtual avenues. “Once people realize ‘Hey, all of these things impact my everyday practice, they impact how often I’m having to contact the insurance company, or how much I’m getting paid to see a patient on a daily basis’… that helps provide some of the motivation.”
Thomas Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.
