AAOS Advocacy in Action

Urged Congress to discuss musculoskeletal health care priorities during House and Senate committee hearings last week on the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, including implementation of the No Surprises Act and Medicare payment reform.
Met with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s office earlier this week to discuss AAOS’ position and white paper on value-based musculoskeletal care (more details coming soon).
Monitored discussions during this week’s House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing surrounding price transparency and physician-owned hospitals.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

AAOS News

Comments Submitted to Congress on Health Care Workforce Shortage
Last week, AAOS submitted comments to the  Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in response to the committee’s request for information and ideas to address the health care workforce shortage. Recently the committee conducted a hearing on the issue titled  “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go From Here?” Chairman Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) expressed their commitment to addressing the problem with bipartisan policy solutions. In its comments, AAOS highlighted challenges which exacerbate the issue such as prior authorization burden and electronic health records, workplace violence, declining Medicare reimbursement, implementation of the No Surprises Act, as well as student loan debt. Read the full AAOS letter…

 
 
 

Healthcare Policy News

REDI Act Reintroduced to Ease Debt Burden on Physicians & Dentists
Last month, the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act was reintroduced in the 118th Congress by Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX) and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA). The bipartisan bill received significant support in the 117th Congress and would allow interest-free deferment on student loans for borrowers serving in a medical or dental internship or residency program. Residents who carry education debt upon graduating medical school watch their loan burden multiply during residency due to the continued accrual of interest. The REDI Act would help ease that burden and save physicians and dentists in residency positions thousands of dollars so that they can focus on building their skills and caring for patients. The AAOS is thankful for the leadership of Reps. Babin and Houlahan on the issue and is advocating for Congress to enact long-term solutions. Read more about the bill here…

 
 
OrthoPAC Corner

OrthoPAC 2023 State Participation Challenge

Help your state achieve a 20% participation rate in the Orthopaedic PAC (OrthoPAC) for 2023 and ‘PAC Out the Map.’ Four states/territories have already surpassed the goal thus far: Mississippi, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Connecticut with an impressive 100% participation rate. OrthoPAC continues to play a critical role in AAOS Advocacy efforts such as fighting pressing legislative battles, including mitigating the scheduled Medicare payment cuts and reforming the burdensome prior authorization process. You can learn more about the OrthoPAC and its essential role by visiting AAOS Office of Government Relations staff at the upcoming Texas, Virginia, Florida, and California state society meetings.  Text ‘AAOS’ to 41444 or visit its webpage…

 
 
 
 
 
What We’re Reading

 
 
 
 
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QUESTIONS

For questions or concerns on these or other advocacy issues, contact us at dc@aaos.org.

 
JOIN THE PAC
Did you know? Supporting our Orthopaedic PAC by phone is easy: simply text AAOS to the number 41444. Learn more about OrthoPAC.


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