AAFP welomes 119th Congress
As the 119th Congress convenes, AAFP believes there are opportunities to work together to enact policies that will help ensure accessible, affordable health care for all Americans. In a letter to Congress, AAFP outlined a continued focus on four key priorities.
- Recognizing the value of primary care, which is crucial for improving health outcomes, reducing health care costs and enhancing patient satisfaction. More resources and support are needed to ensure that our nation appropriately values primary care, including sweeping Medicare payment reform, support for alternative payment models to facilitate a more meaningful transition to value-based care and protecting physicians’ clinical autonomy by addressing health care consolidation and misaligned incentives such as site-of-service payment differentials.
- Reducing administrative burden, such as excessive documentation, prior authorizations and billing requirements. Reducing this burden allows physicians to focus more on patient care, enhances job satisfaction and increases efficiency within the health care system, ultimately improving the quality of care and patient outcomes.
- Increasing and sustaining the primary care workforce to address growing workforce shortages due to an aging population and physician burnout. Increasing and sustaining the workforce requires policies that promote training, support and retention of family physicians. Efforts such as enhanced medical education, loan forgiveness programs and better compensation are essential to attracting and maintaining a strong family physician workforce.
- Improving health care to ensure that Americans have access to high-quality health care. This involves addressing disparities in health care access, affordability and quality. Policies should focus on expanding access to rural and underserved populations and improving care coordination. To achieve better health outcomes for all while reducing health care costs in the longer term, policies should also promote low-cost, high-value care such as immunizations and other preventive services.
AAFP CEO: Seven bold policies to reshape rural health care
The U.S. faces a growing problem: diminishing access to physicians and health care services for 60 million people living in rural communities. Rural residents face longer travel times to receive care, and there is increased pressure on those physicians remaining in the community.
In a new piece in Healthcare Dive, AAFP CEO and Executive Vice President R. Shawn Martin outlined new policies to champion rural health care. He called for:
- tax credits for physicians practicing in health professional shortage areas;
- professional liability insurance coverage via the Federal Tort Claims Act;
- tax deductions for teaching and mentoring medical students and residents in rural practices;
- rural Medicare payment enhancement;
- prompt pay in Medicare Advantage;
- strengthening “healthy Americans” incentives; and
- direct contracting with primary care physicians for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
All communities, including rural communities, deserve access to high-quality, accessible primary care. Martin challenged the new Congress and administration to seek bold policy changes that make this a reality for the millions of Americans who call rural communities home.
Additionally, AAFP, along with the National Rural Health Association and the American Heart Association, is a co-sponsor of the Rural Health Disparities Summit in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 13. AAFP leadership and members will be participating in a panel on rural residency programs and training, which is essential in building the primary care workforce. You can register at the link above and the event is open to media.
AAFP responds to new FDA proposed nicotine rules
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes and other combusted (smoked) tobacco products to minimally addictive or non- addictive levels.
AAFP knows tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable, premature death in the U.S., killing nearly half a million American each year, costing the nation over $241 billion annually in health care expenses, and causing nearly a third of all deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease.
If finalized, the proposal would accelerate declines in smoking and save millions of lives from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other tobacco-related diseases.
At the same time, AAFP is discouraged that the FDA also authorized types of flavored Nicotine pouches, which can lead do youth nicotine addiction. We’ve repeatedly called on the FDA to ban all flavored tobacco and nicotine products due to their appeal to children. AAFP will continue to engage with the FDA on all nicotine and tobacco policies.
New report shows U.S. overdose rate higher than other countries’
Why it matters:
A new Commonwealth Fund report shows that, in 2022, about 108,000 people in the U.S. died of an overdose — a jump of more than 50% since 2019. While 2022 was the first year that overdose deaths had declined since 2018, the United States continues to have the highest rate of such deaths in the world, by a substantial margin. Given the scope of specialty and geographic distribution, family physicians play a critical role in the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder, especially in rural and under-resourced communities.
What we're working on:
- Although removal of the X-waiver requirement to prescribe buprenorphine was a significant step by Congress, AAFP sent a letter last year urging lawmakers to enact policies that remove additional barriers for accessing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). This remains an AAFP priority for the 119th Congress.
- AAFP has been working to reduce stigma and increase access to appropriate treatment. This includes by acknowledging that OUD is a chronic condition that falls within the scope of practice for family physicians to treat. Family physicians work with patients to manage their diabetes, hypertension and arthritis — OUD should be no different.
- AAFP continues to advocate for streamlining prior authorization requirements that create significant barriers for family physicians and can delay the start or continuation of MOUD. These delays lower adherence to recommended treatments, which can lead to adverse health consequences for patients.
- AAFP continues to push for integrating behavioral health into primary care practices to increase patient access to MOUD. Unfortunately, while many family physicians want to integrate behavioral health services in their practices, they face burdensome startup costs and payment and reporting challenges that prevent integration.
What we're reading
AAFP Board Chair Steve Furr, MD, spoke to MedCentral about Medicare payment cuts. “We have not had an inflation update for 21 years. Can you imagine any business still surviving after 21 years if they were not able to raise their prices?” he said.
Editors of MedPage Today selected some of the best quotes their reporters heard in 2024. "'It's very, very clear that physician spending is not the problem in health care,' said Jen Brull, MD, AAFP President, commenting on proposed payment cuts under the Medicare physician fee schedule."
AAFP Board member Kisha Davis, MD, spoke to the NBC Baltimore affiliate station about preventing respiratory illnesses such as RSV and COVID-19 during cold and flu season. Family physicians play a critical role in conversations about vaccines.
For the latest policy updates impacting family medicine, follow us at @aafp_advocacy.