Earlier in the year, it seemed that healthcare reform was stopped in its tracks because of the Massachusetts Senate special election—which placed Republican Scott Brown in the seat held by the “Liberal Lion,” Edward M. Kennedy. The Senate Democrats lost their supermajority and the momentum to pass President Obama’s healthcare reform legislation subsided. But through strong lobbying by the president, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)—comprehensive healthcare reform—on March 21, and the president signed the bill into law on March 23.
Rheumatology professional and patients visited with 117 legislators and their staffs during the 2019 Advocates for Arthritis event to champion better rheumatology patient care and access.
Amidst the most momentous week of the year’s tumultuous healthcare reform activities, we arrived in Washington, D.C., for the annual ACR Advocates for Arthritis Capitol Hill Fly-In. This was to be my first visit to Congress. Although my alma mater, Georgetown University, was a short distance from the Capitol dome, as a student I had little interest in the political process—particularly as it related to medicine. Now, however, as a young rheumatologist, I am increasingly aware of the impact health policy has on my daily practice. I have also watched the healthcare reform debate unfold over the last year, recognizing that this is a critical time for physicians to be vocal and active. There is a great deal at stake, and we are surrounded daily by the very issues debated in Washington. Why not take our opinions directly to the decision makers?
This year’s Advocates for Arthritis conference was the American College of Rheumatology’s largest and most successful fly-in to date