APMA News - May/June 2022 - 26

federal advocacy forum
The Importance of Momentum
in Legislative Advocacy
By William S. Long, DPM, Chair, Legislative Committee
In keeping with the theme I established in my last
column, I want to spotlight congressional champions
who support the advancement of podiatric
physicians. On March 14, President Joe Biden
signed our VA bill authorizing the title change from
Director of Podiatric Services to Podiatric Medical
Director. This change was required to allow podiatric
physicians serving as Podiatric Medical Director
to receive the same compensation as our MD and
DO counterparts. The correction was necessary
after an oversight was identified with the passage
of the MISSION Act in 2018. The MISSION Act
mandated that the VA treat doctors of podiatric
medicine as physicians, thereby placing us within
the physician pay tables. These federal victories
bring us another step closer to obtaining parity.
As chair of APMA's Legislative Committee, I would
like to acknowledge the efforts of our committee
members, staff, and federal legislators Sen. Bill
Cassidy, MD (R-LA), Rep. Brad Wenstrup, DPM (ROH),
and Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN).
In addition, I extend my sincerest appreciation to
every APMA member who participated in our April
2022 Virtual Legislative Conference and Advocacy
Week. Seventy-five podiatric physicians held more
than 120 virtual meetings with our federal legislators'
offices. I had the distinct honor to speak with
four South Carolina congressional offices including
those of Senator Tim Scott (R), Senator Lindsey
Graham (R), Rep. William Timmons (R), and Rep.
Jeff Duncan (R). They were very receptive to the
issues presented. The primary focus for the Virtual
Legislative Conference was bringing awareness of
and requesting co-sponsorship for the following
four bills:
* Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to
Podiatric Physicians (HELLPP) Act recognizing
DPMs as physicians under Medicaid and streamlining
the Medicare Therapeutic Shoe Program
(TSP) to clarify paperwork requirements; the
act is paid for by closing a loophole that allows
tax-delinquent providers to continue receiving
Medicaid reimbursements
* Amputation Reduction and Compassion Act to
continue coverage for non-invasive peripheral
vascular studies and screenings
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MAY/JUNE 2022
* Chronic Condition Copay Elimination Act requiring
coverage for preventive care for individuals
with chronic conditions such as diabetes without
requiring patient cost-sharing
* Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health
Workers Act providing a pathway to federal loan
repayment for individuals who worked on the
frontline during the COVID pandemic
We must keep the momentum rolling; we need
increased involvement from our APMA members.
Do not just sit on the sidelines waiting for change.
Get actively involved at the state or national level.
These issues impact us all, and we cannot continue
to rely on a few members to accomplish our
goals. Change will require us all to sacrifice both
time and money for our beloved profession to advance.
If you desire to leave our profession better
off than when you joined, simply log on to APMA's
eAdvocacy website (www.apma.org/eAdvocacy)
and send one of our pre-written letters to your legislator
requesting support/co-sponsorship of our
bills. Podiatric physicians are the premier experts
for lower extremity care, and we must continue to
fight for parity, which includes equal pay for service
and recognition as physician service providers.
http://www.apma.org/eAdvocacy
APMA News - May/June 2022

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