The American Medical Women’s Association Advocacy Committee asks all members to voice support for the inclusion of the 3 provisions in the Build Back Better reconciliation package currently under consideration by both the House and Senate as in the best interest of our patients.
In particular, AMWA encourages you to consider calling your congressional representatives to support:
- Allowing Medicare to directly negotiate prescription drug prices. Currently Medicare is not legally allowed to negotiate drug prices, even though the Veterans Affairs system is allowed to negotiate prices
- Expanding Medicare coverage to include dental care, hearing aids, and vision services
- Supporting 12 weeks of paid family leave
The most recent version of the Build Back Better legislation, as of October 28, 2021, does not reflect any of these provisions, except for hearing coverage in Medicare. However, until the bill is finalized and a vote is taken, there is still an opportunity for physicians and physicians-in-training to weigh in and advocate for the inclusion of these critical health promoting needs that directly affect everyone.
Please consider making a call to your congressional representatives today. Your voice is powerful. Ask your Senators and House Representative to offer their support for each of these necessary provisions to assure good health and wellbeing.
AMWA is joining forces with Doctors for America. You can call your elected officials directly at 202-224-3121 or use the Doctors for American direct dialer HERE to be connected to your representatives. Phone calls are considered to be one of the most effective ways to have physician/trainee voices heard. If you prefer to send an email, be sure to personalize your message with a brief, relevant story from your practice experience in your local town). You are encouraged also to send a message via Twitter.
Let’s raise our voices together to bring about these necessary improvements to our healthcare.
