Committee on Legislation and Advocacy
About the Committee
The MSS Committee on Legislation and Advocacy (COLA) is responsible for creating and maintaining a network of MSS chapters to promote grassroots political action. COLA provides sample letters, talking points, and additional information and resources to assist students in responding to specific legislative issues. COLA also advances key student issues through a coordinated campaign at each national meeting and works with the MSS Governing Council on accomplishing specific legislative advocacy goals.
Meet your 2008-2009 Committee on Legislation and Advocacy
Contact your Committee on Legislation and Advocacy
- Committee Chair - Nitesh Paryani
- Committee Vice Chair - Anthony Hesketh
- Committee Vice Chair - Courtland Keteyian
Issues, Information and Resources
COLA has developed Issue Briefs and Presentations on a wide range of health policy issues, tailored to meet the needs and interests of medical students. These Issue Briefs and Presentations are provided below, along with relevant materials produced by the AMA and links to more information. Please feel free to distribute these materials widely. And be sure to check back often for new Issue Briefs and Presentations.
Note: The presentations below are saved as PDFs. PDFs can be viewed as full screen slide shows by hitting "Ctrl + L" and using the down arrow to advance to the next "slide." If you would like the PowerPoint file, please e-mail Keith Voogd.
Covering the Uninsured/ Access to Care
- COLA Issue Brief (Access to Care) (PDF, 107KB)
- COLA Issue Brief (Medicaid/SCHIP) (PDF, 259KB)
- COLA Medicaid/SCHIP Presentation (PDF, 161KB)
- Expanding Health Insurance: The AMA Proposal for Reform (PDF, 929KB)
- AMA Proposal FAQs (PDF, 55KB)
- AMA Plan Presentation (PPT, 2MB) and Script (Word, 138KB)
Medical student debt
- COLA Debt Issue Brief (PDF, 74KB)
- COLA Debt Presentation (PDF, 258KB)
- AMA Issue Brief (PDF, 44KB)
- COLA Presentation - 20/220 and Your Finances (PDF, 174KB)
- COLA Issue Brief - 20/220 and Your Finances (PDF, 63KB)
- COLA Issue Brief - 20/220 and Access to Care (PDF, 67KB)
- More information
Higher Education Act
- COLA HEA Issue Brief (PDF, 56KB)
- COLA HEA Presentation (PDF, 182KB)
- AMA Recommendations for HEA Reauthorization (PDF, 44KB)
- More information
Resident work hours
- COLA Issue Brief (PDF, 224KB)
- COLA Presentation (PDF, 176KB)
Health information technology
- COLA Presentation (PDF, 169KB)
Medicare/SGR reform
- COLA Issue brief (PDF, 38KB)
- COLA Presentation (PDF, 116KB)
- AMA Issue Brief (PDF, 329KB)
- MSS Advocacy and Policy Web page for information and resources on other issues of interest to medical students.
Get Involved
There are many ways you can get involved with AMA and MSS health policy legislation and advocacy efforts.
- Participate in the COLA Grassroots Action Network
Maintained by COLA, the MSS Grassroots Action Network facilitates coordinated national campaigns on important medical student issues such as medical student debt and the implementation of the Clinical Skills Assessment Exam. - Visit the AMA's Grassroots Action Center
The AMA Grassroots Action Center, better know as Capwiz, provides contact information for your elected officials, information on pending legislation of importance to physicians and the medical community, and records of your elected officials' votes on key health policy legislation. You can even send letters/emails/faxes to your elected officials letting them know how you, as a medical student and future physician, feel about the issues and their impact on the future of medicine. - Join AMPAC
The American Medical Political Action Committee (AMPAC) is the bipartisan political action committee of the American Medical Association. Its goal is to support and elect pro-medicine candidates on the federal level. Learn more about AMPAC and how you can get involved! - Apply for the Government Relations Internship Program (GRIP) and spend your summer working on health policy issues in Washington, D.C.
- Apply for the Government Relations Advocacy Fellowship (GRAF) and spend a year working on important health policy issues in the AMA's Washington, D.C. office.
