Rheumatology advocacy involves several branches of government and various agencies. ACR advocates to Congress, federal agencies, and others by writing or signing on to various policy letters.
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Stop the 4.5% Cut to Medicare Reimbursements - 12/5/2022
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Enact the Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Appropriations Act to Fully Fund the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs in Fiscal Year 2023 - 11/21/2022
ACR Provides Comments on MACRA In Response to Congressional RFI - 10/31/2022
ACR and Other Medical Organizations Ask Congress to Pass the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022 Before the Scheduled Cuts to Reimbursements Are Enacted on January 1, 2023 - 9/30/2022
ACR Comments on the CY23 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program - 9/6/2022
ACR Joins 62 Other Organizations in Urging Congress to Pass the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act Before the End of the 117th Congress (a companion letter was sent to the Senate) - 7/29/2022
ACR Joins Coalition Letter to Congress Asking for Mitigating Action in Response to Payment Reductions in Recent Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule and Impending Cuts to Medicare Reimbursement - 7/27/2022
ACR Joins AMA Statement in Response to Kelley v. Becerra Lawsuit in Texas Which Threatens Patient Access to Preventative Care - 7/25/2022
ACR Leads Letter with Targeted Coalition Supporting Reducing Prescription Drug Prices, Suggesting Modifications to the Medicare Drug Pricing Provisions in the Current Reconciliation Package - 7/20/2022
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Consider the "“Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act” Among the Potential Policies Being Considered to Combat High Student Loan Debt in the U.S. - 7/15/2022
ACR Joins Letter Urging Congress to Invest Adequate Resources in Patient Impacts of Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC) - 7/14/2022
Multispecialty Letter to CMS - Transparency and Stakeholder Involvement in MAC Policymaking - 6/14/2022
ACR Joins Coalition Letter to House Defense Appropriators Supporting Continued and Increased Funding for Biomedical Research Related to Military Service Through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the Department of Defense (additional letter sent to Senate appropriators) - 6/2/2022
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Emphasizing the Impact of Step Therapy Protocols on Mental Health and Calling on Congress to Include the Safe Step Act in any Mental Health Related Legislative Package - 5/24/2022
ACR Joins the AMA’s Characteristics of a Rational Medicare Physician Payment System, a set of principles providing a framework for payment reform as a first step towards consensus on payment system policy recommendations that work better for patients and physicians, and put an end to the annual advocacy exercise of stopping impending payment cuts - 5/24/2022
ACR Provides Comments to FTC Regarding Pharmacy Benefit Manager Business Practices - 5/23/2022
ACR Leads Coalition Letter to House Appropriators Requesting $30 Million in FY23 for the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program (additional letter sent to Senate appropriators) - 5/17/2022
ACR Joins ATAP Sign-On Letter to FTC Regarding PBMs - 5/11/2022
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking for the CDC Arthritis Program (additional letter also sent to Senate leadership) - 4/19/2022
ACR Joins Alliance for Transparent and Accessible Prescriptions Letter to CMS on Medicare Advantage and Part D Proposed Rule Comments - 3/3/2022
ACR Joins Coalition Letter to Urge Congress to Advance the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act to Help Offset Cost of Medical Education by Addressing Accrual of Student Loan Interest During Training - 2/25/2022
ACR Joins 95 Other Organizations to Urge Congress to Move Forward on Medicare Payment Reforms - 2/25/2022
ACR Congratulates New FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, MACC - 2/18/2022
Finance Hearing Request Letter: Advancing Prior Authorization Legislation - 1/28/2022
ACR Leads Group Letter to Senate Asking to Modify the Build Back Better Act to Avoid Negative Impact on Part B Providers - 12/17/21
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Year to Extend the 3.75% Medicare Payment Adjustment - 11/29/21
ACR Supports Safe Step Act to Require Group Health Plans to Provide an Exception Process for any Medication Step Therapy Protocol - 11/4/21
ACR Supports Rescinding Most Favored Nation Interim Final Rule - 10/12/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Enact the Fiscal Year 2022 Defense Appropriations Act to Fully Fund the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs in Fiscal Year 2022 - 10/6/21
ACR Comments on CY22 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program Proposed Rule - 9/10/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress for Additional Medicare Supported GME Positions in the Upcoming Reconciliation Package - 9/1/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Thanking House Appropriators for the $25 Million in Funding Provided to the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program in the House FY2022 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill - 8/20/21
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congressional Leaders to Maintain the 3.75% Increase to the Conversion Factor through 2022 and 2023 to Support Providers Still Dealing with the Impact of the Pandemic and Facing Sequester and "Pay As You Go" Cuts to Medicare Reimbursement for Services at the End of 2021 - 7/23/2021
ACR Sends Letters on Vaccine Boosters to the FDA and CDC - 7/19/2021
ACR Thanks House and Senate Leaders for Introducing the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act to Support IMGs in Serving American Patients - 6/22/2021
ACR Congratulates New CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Confirmation - 6/16/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Increase Reimbursements for DXA Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 (additional letter also sent to Senate leadership) - 5/25/2021
ACR Leads Letter to CMS on Excluding Self-Administered Formulations in Part B Payment Calculations - 5/12/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Supporting the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to Prevent and Treat Mental Health Conditions Impacting the Medical Workforce - 3/25/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Supporting the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021 to Fund 14,000 Additional GME Training Positions (additional letter also sent to Senate leadership) - 3/24/2021
ACR Endorses Dr. Janet Woodcock as Permanent FDA Commissioner - 3/23/2021
ACR Sends Congratulatory Letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra - 3/19/2021
ACR Leads Rheumatology Letter Urging Congressional Leadership to Extend the Medicare Sequester Moratorium - 3/19/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking for $54 million for the CDC Arthritis Program (additional letter also sent to Senate leadership) - 3/16/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Supporting Designation of May 2021 as Spondyloarthritis Awareness Month - 3/15/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Fund the Pediatrics Subspecialty Loan Repayment Act (which was reauthorized in the CARES Act but not funded for operation; additional letter also sent to the House leadership) - 3/2/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Thanking Congress for Adding 1,000 new Medicare-supported Graduate Medical Education (GME) positions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act - 1/27/2021