Looking ahead to 2021, the AMA’s advocacy will focus on cornerstone issues that affect the health of the nation—COVID-19 being front and center. A new Administration and Congress, along with a shift in statehouses across the country, present new opportunities for pursuing a broad advocacy agenda, including:
- Continued work on ending the COVID-19 pandemic; including issues surrounding vaccine distribution and practice sustainability (see the AMA’s daily COVID-19 video updates series here or visit the AMA’s COVID-19 resource center for the latest)
- Public health infrastructure issues, including pandemic preparedness and improving health equity
- Access to care, including needed improvements to the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- Robust regulatory agenda as the new Administration seeks to revise or rescind many actions taken by the previous one
- Implementing regulations for surprise medical billing
- Digital health, including telemedicine (payment, coverage and expansion to audio) and augmented intelligence
- Fighting scope of practice expansions that threaten patient safety
- Private health insurance practices, including prior authorization and network adequacy
- Medicaid expansion and physician payment
- Opioid and drug overdose epidemic issues (PDF), including expanding access to medications to help treat opioid use disorder, mental health and substance use disorder parity, and preventing new or additional opioid prescribing restrictions
Read the full survey results of 2021 state legislative priorities.
Register now to attend the virtual 2021 AMA National Advocacy Conference, Feb. 23-24, to hear the latest on these and other top issues—and learn strategies for effective advocacy. Speakers will include AMA leadership, the Administration, federal lawmakers, and other physician and patient advocates.
