FamMedPAC Funds Raised to Date Total More Than $377,000

The Academy's federal political action committee, FamMedPAC, a mere 16 months old, has already raised $377,565, and the Academy is seeing "the bang for the buck" after donating to lawmakers, says one FamMedPAC leader.

In the 2005-06 election cycle, FamMedPAC has given current lawmakers and candidates for federal offices about $170,00 in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. The criteria (Members Only) for FamMedPAC contributions focus on elements such as a candidate's support of AAFP's legislative and regulatory initiatives, committee assignments and leadership positions. In general, contributing to FamMedPAC is a way to support candidates who support family medicine, says FamMedPAC's home page on the Internet, which has a link for making online contributions.

"If every member of the Academy gave $100, we would be larger than any other medical PAC," Michael Fleming, M.D., of Shreveport, La., chair of the FamMedPAC Board of Directors, told the AAFP Congress of Delegates Sept. 27 in Washington. Sparking laughter and applause, he continued, "If every member gave $100, we would be larger than the trial lawyers' PAC!"

Fleming urged delegates, "Go home and talk to your colleagues" about the importance of supporting FamMedPAC. The time is right: Members received an insert in their AAFP dues notice this month that encouraged them to support FamMedPAC.

So what's the real-world impact of FamMedPAC? Consider the Sept. 28 dinner fundraiser for Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a gathering that focused on health care issues. Isakson serves on Senate committees on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions; Veterans' Affairs; and Small Business & Entrepreneurship. FamMedPAC learned of the event and contributed $2,000 to the senator; the Academy then received an invitation to the dinner. Richard Wherry, M.D., of Dahlonega, Ga., a member of the FamMedPAC Board of Directors, attended the event.

"Only six other medical groups were represented at the dinner, and I was the only constituent of the senator and the only physician," said Wherry. "I sat across from the senator for about two and a half hours, and we talked about the difficulties of attracting medical students to family medicine and of recruiting physicians to rural towns such as Dahlonega because of low payments from Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE.

"I've done a lot of Capitol Hill visits and visits with my representatives here in Georgia, but I've never had two hours with a U.S. senator. We were a small, intimate group. That's the bang for the buck" that AAFP members receive for contributing to FamMedPAC, Wherry said.