RheumPAC is the ACR’s political action committee dedicated to increasing rheumatology’s presence on Capitol Hill. It is the only PAC dedicated to the interests of all rheumatologists and their patients. RheumPAC began in 2007 with the purpose of building contacts, influence and visibility within Washington, D.C. for rheumatology.
RheumPAC works to support and elect pro-rheumatology candidates and increases the ACR’s ability to have face-to-face dialogue with influential representatives and senators. Here is one example of RheumPAC’s support of a pro-rheumatology candidate:
Matt Heinz, MD, is an attending physician at Tucson Medical Center, a former state legislator and former senior official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Elected to the Arizona State House in 2008, Dr. Heinz served two terms and was chosen by his Democratic colleagues to serve as Democratic Whip. In the state legislature, he co-authored and passed Bobbie’s Law with Republican support, giving more low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer access to life-saving medical care. Dr. Heinz is an internist at Green Valley Hospital and the Tucson Medical Center, where he has served since 2003. From 2013 to 2015, he served as director of provider outreach in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. HHS. In this role, Dr. Heinz helped coordinate federal response to the Ebola virus and worked closely with healthcare providers implementing the Affordable Care Act.
RheumPAC is proud to support Dr. Heinz against one-term incumbent Martha McSally. Representative McSally won election in 2014 by just 167 votes. Dr. Heinz boasts immense support from the medical community including the following endorsements:
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American Academy of Ophthalmology
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons
- American College of Emergency Physicians
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Rheumatology
- American College of Surgeons
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Nurses Association
- American Osteopathic Association
- American Podiatric Medical Association
- American Psychiatric Association
- American Psychological Association
- American Society of Neurology
- National Association of Spine Specialists
- Professional Compounding Centers of America
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons
For more information on RheumPAC, visit rheumatology.org/Advocacy/RheumPAC.
