Government & Medicine

AAFP Asks Members to Call on Congress to Pass Health Care Reform

(02/08/2010) -- The AAFP once again is rallying support for enactment of comprehensive health care reform legislation by asking its members to send a message about the need for health care reform directly to Congress. The Academy issued an Action Alert on Feb. 5, urging members to sign on to a Speak Out letter that calls on Congress to pass reform legislation that enhances access, improves quality and lowers costs. More

Obama Budget Makes Key Investments in Primary Care, Says AAFP President

(02/03/2010) -- The Obama administration's fiscal year 2011 budget would provide funding increases for a number of primary care-related programs and, thus, would enable the U.S. health care system to take steps toward offering a high-quality, efficient and accessible health care system, according to AAFP President Lori Heim, M.D., of Vass, N.C. More

Administration Issues Interim Final Rules Implementing Mental Health Parity Act

Law Should Help Boost Access to Mental Health, Addiction Services, Says FP

(02/03/2010) -- The Obama administration has issued interim final rules for implementing The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. HHS will be accepting public comment on the rules, which were published Feb. 2 in the Federal Register, until May 3. More

Obama Renews Call for Health Care Reform During State of the Union Address

Health Care Problems Have Not Disappeared, Says AAFP President

(01/28/2010) -- During his first State of the Union address on Jan. 27, President Obama said he would continue to work for passage of a health care reform bill, reviving hopes that Congress may be able to pass comprehensive reform legislation this year. More

California Prepares to Implement Timely Physician Access Regulations for Managed Care Plans

(01/28/2010) -- California physicians are preparing for the effects of new regulations from the California Department of Managed Health Care, or DMHC, that will require physicians in managed care organizations to meet a series of timelines for providing care and services to patients seeking treatment. More

MedPAC Calls for 1 Percent Overall Payment Increase in 2011

Additional Increases for Primary Care Also Needed

(01/27/2010) -- The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC, will ask Congress to approve a 1 percent increase in the Medicare physician payment rate for 2011 and to provide a budget-neutral payment increase next year for physicians whose practices are focused on primary care services. More

Graham Center Commentary Urges Greater Prevention Role for Medicare

(01/27/2010) -- The federal government can more effectively invest in prevention and wellness if it gives the Medicare system greater latitude to make coverage decisions and changes the Medicare payment system to reward the coordination of preventive care services. That's according to a recent commentary by family physician Lenard Lesser, M.D., a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Andrew Bazemore, M.D., M.P.H., assistant director of the AAFP's Robert Graham Center in Washington. More

AAFP Rallies Member Support for Permanent SGR Fix

(01/13/2010) -- The AAFP has issued a Speak Out Action Alert asking members to contact their representatives in the House and Senate to tell them that family physicians should no longer have to operate with a payment system based on the flawed sustainable growth rate, or SGR, formula. More