The College’s House of Delegates has been busy in 2024! The HOD is an integral part of our local, state, and regional societies. Delegates serve as “ears” to listen to practice issues you may be experiencing. Through the HOD, the Advocacy Council becomes aware of the problems you’re facing in your practices every day.
Regional town hall meetings are opportunities to discuss issues in areas where College members practice. Vivek Rao, MD, ACAAI’s Texas State Delegate, said, “I like to attend all the regional town hall meetings, so I know what’s going on in other parts of the country. Frequently, new policies that are implemented in one state are eventually put into place elsewhere. If we are aware of what is going on in other parts of the country, it can help us figure out why a plan has started denying payment on codes that previously were processed without any issues.”
Some ACAAI delegates have been active with their state legislatures. Tina Merritt, MD, the ACAAI State Delegate representing Arkansas, received a phone call from Congressman Stephen Womack’s (R-AR3) office seeking additional information about emails Dr. Merritt sent supporting H.R. 10073 – Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means. Dr. Merritt also attended a meeting held by the Food Allergy Research & Education organization (FARE) in Washington this past October, advocating for Alpha-gal to become recognized as a major allergen. During the meeting, she asked Congressman Womack to support this effort.
Rachel Schreiber, MD, ACAAI’s Maryland State Delegate, encouraged her county medical society to support the Value of Care Coalition’s letter opposing the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board’s upper payment limits being proposed to the Legislative Policy Committee. The Value of Care Coalition urged the committee to request a more detailed and comprehensive plan that ensures continued access to doctor-prescribed treatments and lower out-of-pocket costs for patients.
Paul Shapero, MD, ACAAI’s Maine State Delegate, asked Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to support H.R. 2474 – the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. While Senator Collins is supportive of finding a long-term solution to physician payments, there is no Senate companion bill. While the Senator is unable to provide support on the House bill, building a relationship with the Senator will be beneficial for future issues. The Advocacy Council has and will continue to strongly advocate for the passage of H.R. 2474.
Aisha Mohammed, MD, ACAAI’s Oklahoma State Delegate, wrote to Senators Julie Daniels (R-OK) and Greg McCortney (R-OK) thanking them for supporting SB 1703 – Medicaid; adding provisions relating to recovery of expenses and SB 1675 – Medicaid; modifying various provisions of the Ensuring Access to Medicaid Act and helping to get the legislation passed to ensure that patients’ health is prioritized without unnecessary delays.
These examples demonstrate the hard work of our state delegates and how important their work is to the mission of the Advocacy Council.
A special thank you to all ACAAI state delegates for making the effort to connect with their state’s allergy societies and especially to those who shared their experiences. As we wind up 2024, we look forward to state delegates’ activity in 2025. Applications for open state delegate positions will be available in March. Watch the College’s Insider newsletter for more information.
