As the leader in advocacy for allergy and immunology, the College sent seven of your colleagues to Washington, DC to represent our concerns to legislators on May 2 – World Allergy Day. Drs. Kathleen May, Todd Mahr, J. Allen Meadows, M. Razi Rafeeq, Gary Steven, James Sublett, and James Tracy met with the Senate HELP Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee and the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee. These committees have jurisdiction over our advocacy/health care issues which include:
- Preventing Medicare cuts
- Standardizing prior authorization
- Reducing Good Faith Estimate burdens
In addition, they met with 17 members of Congress and/or their staff who support our advocacy issues. Furthermore, while they were on the Hill, Senator Ron Wyden championed a bipartisan letter to the American Baker’s Association condemning the baking industry’s response to the FASTER Act. As you may know, some companies have added sesame to foods that were previously sesame-free in order to avoid costs associated with processes and systems to ensure safe baking practices.
In addition, some of our Strike Force members attended Asthma & Allergy Network’s (AAN) College-sponsored Capitol Hill Day on May 3. Our leaders briefed an audience of patient advocates, legislators and federal agency representatives. Additionally, AAN matched patients with our allergists for their visits to the Hill. These visits highlight patients’ stories on how asthma and allergies impact their lives and how pending legislation will potentially affect them.
See photos from the 2023 Strike Force efforts in Washington DC in our photo gallery.
The Strike Force’s personal visits to Capitol Hill are very impactful and help us build strong relationships with our legislators. We’ll continue to advocate to support you, your practice and your patients.
The Advocacy Council – ADVOCATING FOR ALLERGISTS AND THEIR PATIENTS.
