Members of the ACAAI Advocacy Council were on Capitol Hill fighting for issues important to allergy practices last week. The delegation included ACAAI Treasurer Dr. Melinda Rathkopf, ACAAI Executive Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs Dr. Allen Meadows, and ACAAI House of Delegates Vice Speaker Dr. Vivek Rao. They were joined by the Advocacy Council’s legislative government relations consultants Matt Reiter and Luke Schwartz.
L to R: Dr. Vivek Rao, Dr. Allen Meadows, Matt Reiter
The group braved a snowstorm to spend three productive days meeting with 22 congressional offices across the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Dr. Meadows also attended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Expert Panel on Food Allergies.
Most of the group’s time was spent advocating for policies that impact all physicians as part of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) National Advocacy Conference.
The AMA’s advocacy topics included:
- Sustainable Medicare reimbursement, including an annual inflationary payment update for physicians
- Meaningful prior authorization reform to reduce administrative burden and protect patient access to care
- Preservation of Medicaid coverage to ensure continuity of care for vulnerable populations
In addition to participating in the AMA conference, the group held allergy-specific meetings with congressional allies from both political parties to advance the Advocacy Council’s top priorities.
The allergy-focused meetings mainly discussed how these representatives and senators can help support the Advocacy Council’s efforts to secure better coverage and reimbursement for CPT code 95165 by both Medicare and commercial payers.
L to R: Dr. Melinda Rathkopf, Dr. Allen Meadows, Dr. Vivek Rao
Other meetings discussed legislation introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) to prevent consolidation in health care and congressional scrutiny of inhaler prices.
The group had the opportunity to meet with Representative Bob Onder, MD (R-MO-3), the only allergist currently serving in Congress. Rep. Onder has been the leading advocate in Congress for improving reimbursement and coverage for CPT code 96165. He also is working on legislation to address other commercial payer issues that are impacting allergists.
L to R: Dr. Allen Meadows, Rep. Bob Onder, MD,
Dr. Vivek Rao, Dr. Melinda Rathkopf
Another important meeting was with Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9), who is among the biggest champions for allergists in Congress. Rep. Griffith chairs the E&C Health Subcommittee.
L to R: Dr. Vivek Rao, Dr. Allen Meadows, Rep. Morgan Griffith
Lastly, the group’s trip to D.C. coincided with the FDA Expert Panel on Food Allergies, which featured discussions on innovations in food allergy treatments, new food allergy research, and the federal government’s role in supporting food allergy research and treatments. The panel was hosted by FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary.
L to R: Dr. Allen Meadows and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary
The Advocacy Council will continue this important work during our annual Advocacy Strike Force in May, where it will also participate in the Allergy and Asthma Network’s advocacy day. Members of the Advocacy Council will also return to Capitol Hill in March as part of FARE’s advocacy day.
See additional photos of the group’s visit to Washington, DC.
The Advocacy Council – ADVOCATING FOR ALLERGISTS AND THEIR PATIENTS
