Legislation & Advocacy

Everybody Is Doing It: Are You an Advocate?

Staff | May 1, 2009

This month, the ACR board of directors is on Capitol Hill. As leaders of the organization, they have heard the cry of their membership and are dedicating time to address the concerns of the rheumatology community with Congress.

The Future of Medicine Is in Washington—You Should Be, Too

Staff | May 1, 2009

On March 10, the ACR hosted its 2009 “Advocates for Arthritis” fly-in. During this event, over 100 rheumatologists, rheumatology health professionals, and patient advocates walked the halls of Congress to lobby legislators on important issues affecting the rheumatology community.

If Joe the Plumber Gets Arthritis

David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD | April 1, 2009

Campaign figure’s connection to personalized medicine

The Arthritis Act: Where Is It Now? What Can I Do?

Staff | March 1, 2009

In September 2008, the “Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act” passed the House of Representatives. Unfortunately this legislation failed to pass through the Senate and did not become a law. (The Arthritis Act had to be passed in both congressional chambers and signed by the president for the bill to become law.)

Change on the Mall

David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD | March 1, 2009

Will an election driven by change bring agreeable—and affordable—healthcare reform?

Healthcare in the Obama Administration

Staff | February 1, 2009

The ballots are counted, the run-off elections are complete, and a new administration and Congress are set to begin. You may recall that the mock election that was held during the 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting—78% of U.S. meeting attendees chose Barack Obama as their next president—and the general election echoed that choice. On January 20, Barack Obama was sworn in as the United States’ 44th President.

In America’s Recession, the REF Remains Strong

Staff | February 1, 2009

According to a survey conducted in October 2008 by the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, three-quarters of the region’s leading foundations and corporate giving programs suffered a decline in assets because of plummeting returns on investments over 2008. About one-third of the respondents said they reduced grant budgets from 2007 to 2008, and about half of the organizations said they plan to award fewer grants in 2009.