APMA News - March/April 2019 - 40

Federal Advocacy Forum
By Patrick A. DeHeer, DPM

It's All About the HELLPP Act
to ensure success and complete a 24-year journey to passing
The Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiour Medicaid "physician-recognition" bill.
atric Physicians (HELLPP) Act is APMA's legislative focus for
the 116th congressional session.
The groundwork for passage
APMA's Legislative Advocacy deof the HELLPP Act is complete,
The groundwork for passage of
partment and Legislative Comand the time for grassroots activmittee began preparations for inism is now. APMA is going to be
the HELLPP Act is complete,
troduction of the HELLPP Act in
asking you to take action via
and the time for grassroots
2019 with a multipronged, targetemail, phone, and in person. The
ed approach beginning in the
specific "ask" to your member of
activism is now. APMA is going
fourth quarter of 2018. Colin
Congress is for cosponsorship of
to
be
asking
you
to
take
action
Powell once said, "There are no
the HELLPP Act. If he or she has
secrets to success. It is the result
already signed on as a cosponsor,
via email, phone, and in person.
of preparation, hard work, and
then a simple thank-you is all
learning from failure." The Legisthat is required.
Step one is to use APMA's eAdvocacy site to email your
lative department and committee put in the hard work, analyzed our prior successes and failures, and prepared a stratemembers of Congress regarding the HELLPP Act (www.apma.
gic plan. Now, the profession is calling on you to do your part
org/eAdvocacy). The platform is simple, efficient, and easy
to use. The email will go to your two senators and House
representative.
Step two is to call the offices of your senators and House
representative. Steps to effective congressional office calling are
detailed here: https://bit.ly/2XrbVdd. Please call your elected
officials and use the time-tested, step-by-step instructions to
make this process less intimidating and more productive.
Step three is to schedule an in-district meeting with your
member of Congress during the congressional break April
16-25. You can meet the member at an in-district event, at
his or her local office, or even better, invite him or her to
visit your office to meet some of your patients and to get a
firsthand look at what podiatric medicine and surgery entails.
Another good option for an in-district meeting is to host a
fundraiser in conjunction with your state component (contact Legislative Advocacy staff at pac@apma.org if you're interested in this activity).
APMA's Legislative Advocacy department and Legislative
Committee have positioned the profession for its second legislative victory (following our historic win with the VA MISSION Act in 2018) in a two-year time span. Your contributions are key to aligning all the pieces of the puzzle. Please do
your part.
■
APMA Trustee and Legislative Committee Chair Patrick A.
DeHeer, DPM, can be reached at advocacy@apma.org.

40 APMA News March/April 2019

http://www.apma.org/eAdvocacy http://www.apma.org/eAdvocacy https://www.bit.ly/2XrbVdd http://www.prostretch.com

APMA News - March/April 2019

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