- Star Grassroots Advocates
- In January, Raquel Padilla Moore, a 2019 Student Health Policy Fellow, hosted Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) at the Oregon Health Sciences University PA program. During the visit, Wyden, the current ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, discussed equal access to federal loan programs, rural health care access, and other issues with the program’s faculty and students. Thank you for your leadership, Raquel!
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- Following the end-of-year resignation of Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), PAEA sent a welcome letter to newly-appointed Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) in January. In the letter, PAEA described the impact of PA education in Georgia and expressed the association’s desire to collaborate with the Senator’s office on key health and education policy priorities.
- In mid-January, PAEA submitted a response to a request for information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on regulatory barriers impeding the ability of PAs to practice to the top of their license. PAEA expressed the association’s concurrence with the comments submitted by AAPA and urged the agency to reconsider long-standing physical presence requirements for preceptors training PA students.
- Health Care News in Washington
- The House Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee held a legislative hearing in mid-January to consider wide-ranging health priorities including school-based allergies and asthma management and Medicaid coverage of transportation services, among others.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled that surprise billing legislation would be included in a broader health care package passed by the House prior to the expiration of mandatory public health programs - including the National Health Service Corps - in May 2020.
- Opportunities for Action
- PAEA is asking PA education advocates to support the bipartisan, bicameral agreement to extend the National Health Service Corps and authorize new investments in OB/GYN clinical rotations reached in December. If you have not already contacted your representatives in support of this agreement, please do so today.
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