Four Key Priorities for the 119th Congress
As the new Congress convenes, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) believes there are opportunities to work together to enact policies that will help ensure accessible, affordable health care for all Americans. In a letter, the AAFP outlined a continued focus on four key priorities for the 119th Congress:
Recognizing the value of primary care, which is crucial for improving health outcomes, reducing health care costs and enhancing patient satisfaction. More resources and support are needed, including sweeping Medicare payment reform, support for alternative payment models to facilitate a more meaningful transition to value-based care and protecting physicians’ clinical autonomy by addressing health care consolidation and misaligned incentives such as site-of-service payment differentials.
Reducing administrative burden, such as excessive documentation, prior authorizations and billing requirements. Reducing this burden allows physicians to focus more on patient care, enhances job satisfaction and increases efficiency within the health care system, ultimately improving quality of care and patient outcomes.
Increasing and sustaining the primary care workforce to address growing workforce shortages due to an aging population and physician burnout. This requires policies that promote training, support and retention of family physicians, e.g., enhanced medical education, loan forgiveness programs and better compensation.
Improving health care to ensure that Americans have access to high-quality care. This involves addressing disparities in health care access, affordability and quality. Policies should focus on expanding access to rural and underserved populations, improving care coordination and promoting low-cost, high-value care such as immunizations and other preventive services.
AAFP CEO: Seven Bold Policies to Reshape Rural Health Care
The U.S. faces a growing problem: diminishing access to physicians and health care services for 60 million people living in rural communities. Rural residents face longer travel times to receive care, and there is increased pressure on those physicians remaining in the community.
In a new piece in Healthcare Dive, AAFP CEO and Executive Vice President R. Shawn Martin outlined new policies to champion rural health care:
- Tax credits for physicians practicing in health professional shortage areas.
- Professional liability insurance coverage via the Federal Tort Claims Act; tax deductions for teaching and mentoring medical students and residents in rural practices.
- Rural Medicare payment enhancement.
- Prompt pay in Medicare Advantage.
- Strengthening “healthy Americans” incentives.
- Direct contracting with primary care physicians for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Martin challenged the new Congress and administration to seek bold policy changes that make this a reality for the millions of Americans who call rural communities home.
AAFP Response to New FDA Proposed Nicotine Rules
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes and other combusted (smoked) tobacco products to minimally addictive or non-addictive levels. If finalized, the proposal would accelerate declines in smoking and save millions of lives from cancer, cardiovascular disease and other tobacco-related diseases.
At the same time, the AAFP is discouraged that the FDA also authorized types of flavored nicotine pouches, which can lead to youth nicotine addiction. We’ve repeatedly called on the FDA to ban all flavored tobacco and nicotine products due to their appeal to children and will continue to engage with the FDA on all nicotine and tobacco policies.
New Report Shows U.S. Overdose Rate Higher Than Other Countries’
A new Commonwealth Fund report shows that, in 2022, about 108,000 people in the U.S. died of an overdose — a jump of more than 50% since 2019. While 2022 was the first year that overdose deaths had declined since 2018, the U.S. continues to have the highest rate of such deaths in the world, by a substantial margin. Given the scope of specialty and geographic distribution, family physicians play a critical role in the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD), especially in rural and under-resourced communities.
What we’re working on:
- Although the removal of the X-waiver requirement to prescribe buprenorphine was a significant step by Congress, the AAFP sent a letter urging lawmakers to enact policies that remove additional barriers for accessing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
- The AAFP has been working to reduce stigma and increase access to appropriate treatment. This includes acknowledging that OUD is a chronic condition that falls within the scope of practice for family physicians to treat.
- The AAFP continues to advocate for streamlining prior authorization requirements that create significant barriers for family physicians and can delay the start or continuation of MOUD.
- The AAFP continues to push for integrating behavioral health into primary care practices to increase patient access to MOUD. Unfortunately, while many family physicians want to integrate behavioral health services in their practices, they face burdensome startup costs and payment and reporting challenges.
For the latest policy updates impacting family medicine, follow the American Academy of Family Physicians Advocacy team at @aafp_advocacy.
Post author: American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
