AAFP Looks at Congressional Agenda in the Presidential Election Year - American Academy of Family Physicians

American Family Physician,  Feb 15, 2000  by Rosemarie Sweeney,  Verna L. Rose

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The year 2000 brings the presidential election but may be a slow year for congressional action. Typically, presidential election years result in more talk than action on Capitol Hill. Nevertheless, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is focusing advocacy efforts on key health issues of importance to patients and physicians.

For example, AAFP supports strong managed care reform/patient protection legislation and is urging members of the House and Senate to come to a resolution on the measure. Another key bill would provide an exception to existing antitrust laws to engage physicians to collectively bargain with managed care companies. This legislation, known to physicians as the Campbell bill after its sponsor Tom Campbell (R-Calif.), is currently in the House Judiciary Committee. In the Senate, AAFP hopes to defeat a pain management bill that, if enacted, could have a chilling effect on appropriate use of pain medicine by physicians. Facing a budget proposal by the administration that is expected to delete all funding for primary care training, the AAFP already is scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations committee to make the case for continued federal support of funding for family medicine education. Information about the AAFP's work in Washington may be found on the AAFP Web site at http://www.aafp.org under "government relations."

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