- Star Grassroots Advocates
- On October 15, as part of the 2022 PAEA Education Forum, members of PAEA’s Government Relations Steering Committee (GRSC) led a session entitled, “Telling Your Story: Successful Advocacy Through Grassroots Engagement.” The session explored the role of advocacy in PA education, how federal policy supports programs in meeting their needs, and best practices for grassroots engagement. Special thanks to GRSC members Mieshia Baker-Dunn, MBA, and Frank Giannelli, PhD, PA-C, who served as content contributors and speakers for the session. For those who registered for the PAEA Education Forum, but were unable to attend the live session, a recording is available and can be accessed here until March 17, 2023.
- Advancing PAEA’s Advocacy Agenda
- On September 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on accessing healthcare and related challenges, understanding provider experiences, advancing health equity, and assessing the impact of waivers and flexibilities provided in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. In response to the RFI, the PAEA Government Relations team advocated for expanding the existing Merit-based Incentive Payment System improvement activity rewarding clinical preceptors to include all MIPS eligible clinicians in an effort to fully leverage potential clinical education capacity. PAEA also encouraged CMS to work with Congress to secure the authority to directly compensate preceptors in exchange for training PA students.
- On October 27, the PAEA Government Relations team met with House Education and Labor committee staff to express support for H.R. 8872 – The LOAN Act. If passed, the LOAN act would:
- Improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program by shortening the time to forgiveness and broadly codifying the current PSLF waiver;
- Make federal borrowing less expensive by expanding access to subsidized loans, eliminating capitalization of interest including after forbearance and deferment, and creating a safety net for vulnerable borrowers; and
- Lower interest rates by tying interest rates for all new Federal student loans to the 10-year Treasury note—but ensuring that no new loan will have an interest rate higher than 5 percent—and allowing both federal and private borrowers to take advantage of these lower rates.
- On October 28, PAEA’s Senior Director of Government Relations presented to the AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows on grant opportunities through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the federal budget and appropriations process. Through participation in this session, fellows increased their knowledge of best practices for writing a HRSA grant and publishing on their impact.
- Health Care News in Washington
- The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2023 National Health Service Corps Students to Service (S2S) Loan Repayment Program. To learn more about the program and how to apply, read PAEA’s recent article. Interested students must apply by December 1, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
- In August, the Biden administration announced its plan to alleviate the burden of student debt on Americans by cancelling up to $10,000 in student loan debt for non-Pell Grant recipients and up to $20,000 in debt for Pell Grant recipients. To apply for relief, eligible borrowers must submit an application on the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website by December 31, 2023. While applications are still being accepted, applicants should note that, as of this writing, the Biden administration is temporarily barred from cancelling student loan debt due to a hold imposed on the program by the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals on October 21.
- Opportunities for Action
- As Congress works toward a potential FY 23 omnibus agreement, it is critical that constituents encourage their elected officials to improve protections for every American from emerging health threats through the development of a robust clinical workforce. Please urge Congress to include the PREVENT Pandemics Act in a year-end omnibus bill today.
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