APA Continues Fight to Ensure Access to MH Care
Abstract
APA Assembly Speaker Theresa Miskimen, M.D. (right), listens as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) discusses her concerns about ensuring access to care in rural states like Alaska. Clockwise on Murkowski’s left are Michael Polawski, Murkowski’s chief of staff; K.J. Hertz of APA; Haywood Brown, M.D., of the American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists; Benard Dreyer, M.D., of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and Jack Ende, M.D., of the American College of Physicians.
Representing more than 560,000 of America’s frontline physicians and medical students, leaders of APA and five other major medical organizations went to Capitol Hill in late September to express their shared concerns with the latest plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—the Graham-Cassidy bill.
The other organizations partnering with APA on Capitol Hill were the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, and the American Osteopathic Association.
The Graham-Cassidy bill would have had a devastating impact on coverage, benefits, and patient protections for millions of patients, many of whom receive care from frontline physicians and medical students. The Senate never voted on this dangerous proposal due in large part to the concerns voiced by these six medical organizations, patient groups, and other health care organizations. A few weeks after the bill’s failure to move forward, President Trump announced steps to further weaken the ACA.
