2025 NCCL Delegates Address Needs of Patients, Peers

May 2, 2025, News Staff (Kansas City, Missouri) — Hundreds of family physicians gathered here April 24-26 for the National Conference of Constituency Leaders to connect with their peers and move family medicine forward.

Chapter delegates develop resolutions asking the AAFP to take a particular action, such as influence policy, start an investigation, implement a program, or address an issue of concern. They then debate the merits of those resolutions during live reference committee hearings and vote on their disposition during business sessions. Although only delegates can vote on resolutions and candidate elections during the meeting (with one exception: Any new physician AAFP member can vote in the AMA Young Physicians Section delegate election described below), any AAFP member is eligible to attend and voice their opinion on the issues discussed.

Each reference committee consists of chapter delegates from every constituency plus any named observers. Their responsibilities are to 

• listen to all viewpoints expressed during committee hearings;
• meet in executive session to decide based on that testimony and their own knowledge whether to recommend that delegates adopt the original measure or a substitute, not adopt it, or reaffirm it as current policy; and
• reach consensus and develop a consent calendar to present to the full business session for action. 

During the business session, NCCL delegates may extract any resolution from the consent calendar for further discussion and a separate vote. Adopted resolutions or substitute resolutions may also be referred directly to the Congress of Delegates (the AAFP’s policy-making body) with approval from the Commission on Membership and Member Services or, if not fully developed, to the Board of Directors for further action.

It’s important to note that although NCCL plays a key role in the Academy’s governance process, measures adopted during the conference do not automatically become AAFP policy.

2025 Delegates’ Actions

This year, NCCL delegates took up dozens of resolutions on issues important to family physicians and, by extension, their patients and communities. Topics delegates voted on during the meeting ranged from clinical care to payment and administrative burden. You can review the delegates’ actions in full by accessing the reference committee agendas and final reports, but here’s a brief sampling:

Coverage for Obesity Treatment

Delegates adopted a substitute resolution that called on the AAFP to advocate for comprehensive insurance coverage for obesity treatment. CMS announced in April that it would not finalize a rule proposed by the Biden administration that would have extended Medicare and Medicaid coverage for medications to roughly 7.5 million patients.

Pregnancy Care Deserts

Delegates passed a substitute resolution that calls for the Academy to study the impact of the closure of labor and delivery units in areas with high patient-to-physician ratios and resulting pregnancy care deserts. Several members offered testimony about patients who had to travel more than an hour for care following such closures. The substitute resolution also urged the AAFP to continue to engage with stakeholders to prioritize family physicians as the solution for staffing shortages in affected areas.

Protect Loan Forgiveness

Delegates adopted a substitute resolution that urges the Academy to preserve Public Service Loan Forgiveness program eligibility for primary care physicians. The resolution was in response to an executive order signed in March that directs changes to the program that could exclude borrowers who work for organizations engaged in activities that the administration deems illegal.

STI Guidelines

Delegates adopted a substitute resolution, in response to federal funding and staffing cuts to federal health agencies, that urged the Academy to collaborate with stakeholders to create a coalition that could maintain and update prevention and treatment guidelines related to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

International Medical Graduate Issues

Delegates debated several resolutions related to international medical graduates, including an adopted substitute resolution that called on the Academy to improve the visibility of AAFP web content specific to IMGs, including networking opportunities, mentorship, medical school application processes, residency application processes, visa sponsorships, J-1 waivers and employment pathways.

LGBTQ+ Care

Delegates debated several resolutions related to LGBTQ+ care, including an amended resolution that was adopted regarding education. Members provided testimony indicating that they did not receive LGBTQ+ education during medical school and that cost was a barrier to such education while in practice. The amended resolution asked the AAFP to explore ways to promote a longitudinal, trauma-informed curriculum regarding LGBTQ+ care throughout medical education. The resolution also called on the AAFP to offer its already existing LGBTQ+ health training modules at no cost to members.

Law Enforcement in Health Facilities

Delegates adopted a resolution that called on the AAFP to amend existing policy related to the medical care of undocumented immigrants. Specifically, delegates asked the Academy to “oppose legislation and regulations involving the use of law enforcement for the purpose of immigration enforcement in medical and educational facilities.” Support for the resolution was unanimous, with members expressing concern that uninhibited access to medical facilities by immigration and law enforcement agencies would result in patients forgoing care.

Are You Ready to Lead?

Serving as a constituency delegate offers you the chance to hone your leadership skills and impact current and future generations of family physicians. Chapter delegates participate in all NCCL-specific business functions and attend a variety of educational breakout sessions, for which you can claim Enrichment CME credits on an hour-for-hour basis. You may even meet other members from your chapter.

NCCL overlaps with the Annual Chapter Leader Forum, which each year welcomes chapter-elected leaders, aspiring leaders and chapter staff looking to explore issues that affect their chapter’s members and learn from one another. Contact your chapter to learn more.

Finally, if you’d like to make your mark as a constituency leader on a national level, consider running for one of the many positions NCCL delegates vote on during each meeting. You don’t have to be a chapter delegate to run, but you do need to be a registered NCCL attendee who meets the constituency definition. The following positions are available each year:

• LGBTQ+ co-convener — Two co-conveners each serve a one-year term.
• International medical graduates (IMG) co-convener — Two co-conveners each serve a one-year term.
• BIPOC co-convener — Two co-conveners each serve a one-year term.
• Women co-convener — Two co-conveners each serve a one-year term.
• New physician alternate delegate to the Congress of Delegates — Two individuals each serve a one-year term as alternate delegate and a one-year term as delegate.
• Board of Directors new physician member candidate — One candidate is elected for a one-year term, subject to approval by the Congress of Delegates. Additional eligibility requirements apply.
• AMA-YPS delegate — One delegate is elected each year to serve a two-year term staggered with the other delegate. Additional eligibility requirements apply.
• Member Constituency alternate delegates — Six individuals each serve a one-year term as alternate delegate and a one-year term as delegate.

Learn more about each of these roles and their responsibilities.