Advancing Policy
With physician members and staff across the United States, the Committee to Protect Health Care works on dozens of health care policies at any given time. Here are some of our current main issue areas:
Federal Policy Work
Since our inception, we’ve been a leading voice speaking out against attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As politicians continue to threaten this life-changing and live-saving law, we remind the public and lawmakers about the critical protections the ACA provides.
Doctors know how critical protecting Medicare funding is for the millions of patients who rely on it. That’s why we fight attempts to cut funding for this essential program.
We pushed back immediately against the overturning of Roe v Wade and advocated for the Women’s Health Protection Act, and we’ll fight any attempts to restrict abortion nationally.
Our Reproductive Freedom Taskforce communicates on the importance of protecting and expanding reproductive health care access. More information on the Taskforce can be found here.
We’re working to pass site-neutral payment policies to ensure that patients aren’t charged more for the same health care services just because of where they receive them. This is a critical issue as large hospitals are buying independent physician practices, then charging patients more to offer the same services.
More information on our site-neutral payments work can be found here.
We support price transparency as well as billing protections for patients when they receive emergency health services, services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and ambulance services out-of-network, so that people are able to access care without going into debt.
STATE Policy Work
We advocate for policies that lower prescription drug costs for patients, namely, Prescription Drug Affordability Boards. These Boards, which we’ve helped pass in Colorado and Minnesota, lower costs of some of the most expensive drugs while holding Big Pharma accountable.
We’ve played key roles in passing ballot initiatives in states like Michigan to protect reproductive freedom in their constitutions, ensuring that lawmakers can’t ban abortion via legislation.
We support state laws that protect abortion access and reproductive freedom, including ones that have passed in Minnesota and Michigan. We speak out against state abortion bans and unnecessary restrictions that put up barriers to care.
We work to pass public health insurance options in states, which we’ve done in Nevada, Colorado, and Minnesota so far. These public options help ensure that more patients can find affordable health care coverage, regardless of their employment or income.
We’ve worked in states like Colorado to address facility fees, additional unfair fees charged by hospitals, and which patients have to pay out of pocket. Reining in these unnecessary fees can better help patients access care without being charged hundreds of extra dollars.
With politicians continuing to threaten to repeal the Affordable Care Act, we know it’s important to codify its life-saving protections at the state level. We’ve helped do this in Michigan and are continuing in other states.
We support expanding Medicaid in states that haven’t yet done so under the Affordable Care Act, so that more patients have access to affordable health care.
Doctors recognize the role that social determinants play in patients’ health and health equity generally. That’s why we advocate for paid leave legislation, which has recently passed in Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Virginia. These paid leave policies help people care for themselves or loved ones without losing their job or income, improving health outcomes.
The growing problem of crushing medical debt prevents patients from seeking further necessary health care. We’re working to pass legislation to reduce the burden of medical debt by streamlining financial support programs and reducing predatory practices by collection agencies.
POLICY WINS!
MI: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT
(2023)
- Executed targeted ads in key districts to support and pressure lawmakers
- Physicians testified in support of the bill at legislative hearings and in virtual press conferences
- Earned statewide media coverage to educate the public on how the law removes barriers to abortion access
MI: ACA CODIFICATION
(2023)
- Earned over 550 million views, with a publicity value of $9M+, of media coverage
- Physicians submitted letters of support for, testified in favor of, bills at legislative hearings
- Laws codify key provisions in the Affordable Care Act in Michigan
OH: ISSUE 1
(2023)
- Provided early campaign guidance to the ballot committee, drawing from tactical success and learnings from Michigan’s Proposal 3
- Physicians mobilized ahead of August special election to urge voters through op-eds and press calls not to raise the threshold for passing future amendments, including on abortion, from a simple majority to 60%
- Physicians across Ohio submitted op-eds in support of Issue 1
- Amendment now stops government from interfering in medical decisions including abortion
CO: PUBLIC OPTION IMPROVEMENTS
(2023)
- Doctors mobilized and testified in support of the bill at legislative hearings
- This bill updates the 2021 Colorado Option law to ensure that standardized plans are easily identified and compared, strengthen regulators’ ability to lower costs, and make technical changes to the rate review process
CO: PRESCRIPTION DRUG AFFORDABILITY BOARD IMPROVEMENTS
(2023)
- Doctors mobilized and testified in support of the bill at legislative hearings
- This bill makes technical changes to the 2021 PDAB law by expanding the criteria for the drug affordability review, adjusting the cap for setting upper payment limits in the first three years from twelve drugs to eighteen drugs, and lengthening the board’s sunset date by five years to 2031
CO: LIMITS ON FACILITY FEES
(2023)
- Mobilized medical community to reach out to legislators asking them to support legislation
- Physicians brought the issue directly to the public via published op-eds
- This bill requires transparency around facility fees, prohibits the fees on preventative services, and initiates a study of facility fees to understand their impact
MD: PAID FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE IMPROVEMENTS
(2023)
- Physician opinion pieces published widely across Maryland including: Capital Gazette, Baltimore Afro-American, Maryland Matters, Baltimore Banner
- Physicians mobilized and provided testimony at legislative hearings, speaking to patients’ benefit
- Program will begin in 2026
MN: PROTECTING REPRODUCTIVE OPTIONS (PRO) ACT
(2023)
- Doctors mobilized and called on legislators to pass PRO Act
- Committee efforts earned statewide press coverage
- PRO Act codifies right to abortion into state law
MN: IMMIGRANT INCLUSION IN MNCARE
(2023)
- Partnership between medical community, Unidos MN, and Land Stewardship Project for press push in support of immigrant inclusion in MNCare, including state-wide earned media
- Physicians mobilized and called Gov. Tim Walz’ office to voice strong support
- Program will expand public health insurance access to the more than 40,000 undocumented individuals
MN: PUBLIC OPTION
(2023)
- Executed targeted ads in key districts to support and pressure lawmakers
- Physicians testified in support of public health insurance option at legislative hearings
- All Minnesotans will be able to buy into the state’s public insurance program as soon as 2027
MN: PRESCRIPTION DRUG AFFORDABILITY BOARD
(2023)
- Providers mobilized publicly through press conferences, earned, and paid media
- Mobilized medical community to kill amendment designed to gut Board’s authority
- The Committee supported coalition efforts through its full suite of campaign tools
MN: PAID FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE
(2023)
- Physicians mobilized through earned media
- Physicians testified to lawmakers on the benefits for patients
- MN will become the 12th state to create such a program, with this one being among the strongest and most equitable
NM: EXPANDED MEDICAID
(2023)
- Doctors urged legislators to pass Medicaid Forward
- Public communications campaign via earned media
- Will allow all New Mexicans to buy in to Medicaid starting in 2026
MI: PROPOSAL 3 ABORTION RIGHTS
(2022)
- Generated statewide and national media, including $3.1M TV publicity value, with over 7M views
- Helped recruit, train, and deploy physicians in effective TV and digital ads making sure voters heard the right message from trusted messengers
- Mobilized over 2,000 Michigan medical professionals in support of the proposal
- Prop 3 has now restored the protections of Roe in Michigan
US: CONDEMNING THE DOBBS DECISION
(2022)
- Activated network of nearly 3,000 medical professionals leading up to the Dobbs decision
- Over 250 medical professionals called on Supreme Court to uphold Roe v Wade
- Generated over 400 press hits by holding press calls in 8 states and other earned media tactics – reaching the public through their local broadcast TV news, newspapers, and cable news
- Formed a Reproductive Freedom Taskforce to speak out in support of abortion access and against anti-abortion extremist politicians
MD: PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE
(2022)
- Physicians testified in legislative hearings re: how paid family and medical leave benefits patients
- Physicians advocated at press events and in opinion pieces
- Will cover an estimated 2.5 million working people
MN: FRONTLINE WORKER HAZARD PAY
(2022)
- Executed targeted ads in key Senate districts to pressure Republican lawmakers
- Physicians blanketed the airwaves through virtual press conferences calling on lawmakers to act
- 1,025,655 frontline workers who risked health will receive bonus pay
NM: HEALTH INSURANCE EASY ENROLLMENT
(2022)
- Helped pass bill to make it easier for qualifying New Mexicans to be enrolled in health insurance
- Generated statewide media attention featuring physicians and legislative allies
- Program began in Feb ‘23, and studies suggest 113,000 uninsured will be enrolled
CO: PRESCRIPTION DRUG AFFORDABILITY BOARD
(2021)
- Physicians testified in legislative hearings in support of drug affordability board
- Reached Coloradans across the state directly via TV, print stories, and action alerts
- Produced multiple ads centering around physicians and importance of affordable prescriptions for their patients
CO: PUBLIC OPTION
(2021)
- Doctors lobbied at the Capitol and submitted testimony to lawmakers about how CO Option will help patients
- Earned statewide media coverage via press calls, op-eds, and letters to editors
- Created ads with physicians and pushed back against industry attacks
NM: PAID SICK LEAVE
(2021)
- Advocated for paid sick leave for all private employees
- Earned statewide press coverage
- Program benefits hundreds of thousands New Mexicans, which went into effect July 1, 2022
NV: PUBLIC OPTION
(2021)
- Physicians testified in Senate hearings about how Public Option will help patients & providers
- Helped produce 4 physician-forward ads to combat industry talking points
- Amplified medical professionals’ voices in TV and print stories in statewide and national markets
VA: PAID SICK LEAVE
(2021)
- Doctors sprang into action as legislation stalled
- Earned press in target districts to pressure lawmakers to do the right thing amidst global pandemic
- Program protects 30,000 home health workers
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