FFFM | Advocacy in action: Members take key issues from clinics to Congress

Earlier this summer, a record 353 family physicians, residents and students attended the 2026 Family Medicine Advocacy Summit to advocate on Capitol Hill to advance the family medicine specialty.

Welcome to Fighting for Family Medicine. I'm David Tully, Vice President of Government Relations and a member of the Academy's advocacy team. In this episode, you'll hear about how the AAFP advocated for family medicine during the month of July. Then I'll spend some time talking with a member of our government relations team about activities from our Family Medicine Advocacy Summit, as well as looking at the momentum that's building as members of Congress return home for August recess. You can explore more resources related to this episode in the show notes below.

The AAFP welcomes several provisions in the 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule that would strengthen primary care, including expanding flexibility for teaching physicians and the removal of APCM copays. These changes will help practices keep up with rising costs while making continuous team-based care more affordable for Medicare patients.

The AAFP recently supported the Patients First Act, a bipartisan bill that would move Medicare closer to sustainable primary care payment through a five-year hybrid payment model, inflation-based physician updates, and major budget neutrality reforms. Because Medicare rates influence payment across the system, these reforms can improve access to care well beyond traditional Medicare.

The AAFP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, and the American Psychiatric Association oppose the administration's final public charge rule announced earlier this month. The rule will deepen fear and uncertainty for immigrant families and lead to more confusion for patients, making it harder for physicians to keep families healthy.

The AAFP was encouraged by a court decision protecting PSLF eligibility for physicians, employers, and borrowers who have historically relied on the program. Protecting loan forgiveness programs helps strengthen the physician workforce and supports access to family physicians in communities that need them.

The AAFP raised concerns that the new Medicaid work reporting requirements could cause thousands of patients to lose coverage. The Academy urged CMS to revise the rule and clarify that physicians should provide clinical documentation, not determine eligibility. More information can be found in our show notes, where you can also read our recent comment letter.

The AAFP urged the Office of Management and Budget to keep federal grant decisions grounded in scientific merit and expert review. We called for clear limits on grant terminations to fair nonprofit eligibility standards based on an organization's ability to carry out a program, not based on tax status. You can learn more in the show notes below.

The AAFP warned that proposed limits on state-directed and targeted Medicaid payments could reduce state flexibility, increase administrative burden, and threaten access to care. The Academy urged CMS to preserve practical payment tools that support primary care and give states more time and flexibility to implement any changes. You can read our letter in the show notes below.

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee recently advanced bipartisan legislation aligned with AAFP priorities on overdose prevention and Medicare Advantage reform. The AAFP is urging continued action on policies that expand access to naloxone and drug checking tools, improve MA transparency, and reduce prior authorization burdens.

Primary Care for America recently launched the Triple Double campaign at the annual Primary Care Summit, also known as Primary Care 26, a national effort to double investment in primary care, double access to primary care, and double the next generation of primary care clinicians. The campaign is led by the AAFP and the National Association of Community Health Centers with partners across the healthcare ecosystem.

I'm here today with Rebecca King, Senior Strategist for State Affairs and Member Advocacy with Team AAFP, who's going to take some time this afternoon to look back at the highlights from this year's Family Medicine Advocacy Summit. This was a record-setting year with more than 350 family physicians traveling to Washington, DC, to meet with their legislators on some of the most pressing issues that family physicians face today.

Rebecca, thanks for coming back on the podcast, and I wonder if we could start our conversation by sharing with our listeners what our top priority issues were while they were in Washington.

Absolutely. This year, our members came to Capitol Hill focused on three big priorities, and at the heart of all of them is something pretty simple, helping family physicians take care of patients without unnecessary barriers getting in the way.

So the first priority was Medicare Advantage Improvement Act. That bill is about bringing more transparency and accountability to Medicare Advantage, especially around prior authorization. Family physicians know how frustrating these delays can be, but more importantly, they know what those delays mean for patients who are waiting for medically necessary care.

The second priority was the H-1Bs for Physicians and Healthcare Workers Act. This is really about strengthening the physician workforce, especially in rural and underserved communities. International medical graduates are such an important part of our healthcare system, and unnecessary visa barriers only make existing workforce shortages harder. We need more physicians in these communities, not more hoops for them to jump through.

And then finally, the third was the Chronic Care Management Improvement Act. Family physicians are already coordinating care for patients with multiple chronic conditions every day. This bill would help make that care more affordable by eliminating patient cost-sharing for chronic care management services.

And what made those meetings so powerful, Dave, is that our members were not just walking in with bill numbers and acronyms. They were bringing real stories from their practices and their communities, and that is what helps lawmakers understand why these issues matter.

Yeah, I think that's a really important point about the stories, and I think the other big thing they brought was a sense of unity, that family physicians are really united around, you know, major policy issues that are affecting the value of primary care, the burdens that physicians are facing, and what steps we need to take to build a robust and diverse physician workforce, and I think the topics were really well-received by those that were in attendance.

Can you talk a little bit about why it's so important for lawmakers to hear about these issues and why this moment in time this year was so important for family physicians to come to Washington, D.C.?

I think family physicians are some of the most effective advocates because they are speaking from firsthand experience.

They are not talking about these issues in some abstract policy bubble. They are seeing the impact every single day. They know what it means when a prior authorization delay keeps a patient waiting for care. They know what it looks like when a community cannot recruit enough physicians, and they know how even a small out-of-pocket cost can make a patient think twice about getting a service that could help them manage a chronic condition.

That kind of firsthand perspective is really hard to ignore. It helps lawmakers connect the policy to the patient, and it gives them practical solutions from the people who are actually delivering care, not just talking about care from a conference room. And lawmakers really do want to hear from physicians in their districts.

When a family physician speaks up as both a subject matter expert and a constituent, it can make a complicated issue much clearer and a lot more compelling.

That's great. So to segue for a second, we obviously loved having more than 350 family physicians this year. It was an all-time record for the academy.

I know that there are a lot of family physicians that would love to come to Washington, but, you know, scheduling, they have patient rotations, they have family obligations. I wonder if you can talk about ways that family physicians can get involved in our advocacy even if they weren't able to join us in Washington this year.

Well, the good news is that advocacy does not stop when people leave Capitol Hill. In a lot of ways, FMAS is just the starting point for what comes next. So members can keep those FMAS messages going by completing an AAFP Speak Out, sharing a personal story through our Share Your Story platform, recording a video ask, or getting involved with their state chapter.

An August recess is a really natural next opportunity. Members of Congress are back home in their states and districts, so family physicians have a chance to keep the momentum from FMAS going, while also elevating three fresh priorities for this campaign. And that includes protecting community health centers and the National Health Service Corps, passing the Patients First Act to strengthen Medicare physician payment, and advancing the H-1Bs for Physicians Act to protect the rural primary care pipeline.

You do not have to be in Washington to make a difference. You can advocate from your clinic, your community, your laptop, or even your phone. Basically, if you can send an email between patient visits or while your coffee is still warm, you can take an advocacy action. I love it, and we know family physicians love to drink coffee.

So we love to be able to have them drink their coffee and do their speak out at the same time. So Rebecca, kind of building off of the summit, we're, we're approaching August. Tell our listeners why August recess is such an important time of the year for family physicians to engage with lawmakers.

August recess matters because it is one of the best times for members to connect with lawmakers where they live and work, which is often much easier than trying to catch them in the middle of a packed Washington schedule.

Members of Congress are spending more time in their districts attending local events and meeting with constituents. That gives family physicians more chances to have a conversation, whether it's at a town hall, a district meeting, a community event, or even a practice visit. Those local conversations can be really powerful because physicians can show lawmakers what these policies look like on the ground, and it is also about relationship building.

We do not want lawmakers to hear from family medicine only when there is a big vote coming up and everyone is suddenly frantically refreshing their inbox. We want them to hear from family physicians consistently. That is how we make family medicine impossible to ignore.

That's great. So what are some of the realistic ways members can participate in the August Recess Advocacy Challenge, especially if they only have a few minutes in their schedule to lift up our advocacy efforts?

Ah, this is turning into my favorite topic. We built the August Recess Advocacy Challenge as a scavenger hunt, which makes it a little more fun and a lot more flexible. Members can choose activities that make sense for their schedule, their interest, and their comfort level, and they earn points as they go.

So if someone only has a few minutes, they can do something simple like complete a speak out, follow their lawmakers on social media, subscribe to a congressional newsletter, or even share an AAFP advocacy resource. Nothing requires clearing your whole calendar or locating a conference badge from 2019.

If they have a little more time, they can record a video ask, share a personal story, attend a town hall or local event, call a member of Congress, request a meeting with a congressional office, or post about AAFP's August recess priorities on social media. And one of the most meaningful options is inviting a lawmaker to visit their practice because there is really no substitute for seeing what primary care looks like up close It is one thing to talk about family medicine, it's another thing to see the controlled chaos, the relationships, and the problem-solving happening in real time.

As members complete activities, they earn points and can see where they stand on a live leaderboard, which I think adds a fun little competitive spark. We also have prizes and recognition built in, including a pretty great top prize. The first place winner gets registration covered for FMAS 2027.

I love it, and everybody loves giveaways, so hopefully that one person can come join us in Washington, D.C. in May of next year.

Rebecca, we're coming up to our time together. Let's kind of end with this final question. Are there ways for members to have a pulse on these activities year-round, not just when they come to Washington, D.C., not when they just hear our speak outs? How can they stay plugged into all the things that the government relations team is doing in Washington, D.C. on behalf of family medicine?

The best way to stay plugged in year-round is to join the AAFP's Advocacy Ambassadors program. Advocacy Ambassadors is our nationwide network of family physicians, residents, and students who want to stay informed and take action throughout the year. We share timely updates, training, resources, and opportunities to engage with policymakers at both the state and federal levels.

We recently hit a really exciting milestone. We now have more than 1,000 advocacy ambassadors across the country. When we started building this program, we had a vision for a stronger, more connected network of member advocates, so seeing it grow past 1,000 members has been incredibly rewarding.

Honestly, it's one of those moments where you want confetti, but you also know someone would have to vacuum it up. The whole idea is to make advocacy approachable. You do not need previous experience, and you do not have to be an expert on every policy issue. We help members find opportunities that fit their interests, their comfort level, and the time they have available.

We now have advocacy ambassadors in 49 states, and Wyoming is our final holdout. So if anyone listening knows a family physician, resident, or a student in Wyoming, please send them our way. We are very ready to complete the map. No pressure, Wyoming, but also a little pressure. And that is a great call to action.

Absolutely. The more members we have speaking up throughout the year, the stronger and louder our collective voice becomes, and that is exactly what family medicine needs right now.

All right, so you heard it here. Great opportunity to get involved, join our ambassador program. And for anybody out there who's from Wyoming or knows somebody in Wyoming, contact Rebecca King.

Rebecca, before you go, would you mind sharing your email address with listeners so they can send you an email if they want to learn more on how to recruit someone from Wyoming? Absolutely. It's rking@aafp.org.

Super. Rebecca, I can't thank you enough for your time. It was good to have you join us again on the podcast, and appreciate all the amazing work that you're doing, not only in elevating the advocacy summit, but really giving our members a voice through the ambassador program. So thanks for being here with me today. Thank you.

Thanks for joining us today. You can find out what the AAFP is doing to advocate for you, your patients, and your practices, and how you can get involved by visiting our website at AAFP advocacy: Championing health and policy change . Be sure to check out the show notes below for more details about what we discussed today. If you've enjoyed today's episode, let us know by dropping a line to aafpnews@aafp.org.

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