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A Message from the Advocacy Committee:
NEWS FLASH!!! - As of July 2007, AHCAP now has an Advocacy Committee designated to help keep our membership educated and informed on healthcare issues across the continuum of the United States on both state and federal levels. This Committee is still in its infancy stage regarding organization, but promises to provide you with the most current and noteworthy advocacy issues possible. The committee is still accepting members. If you're interested in joining, please contact:
- Gayla Augustine, Chair, gayla.augustine@christushealth.org,
- Patti Heinbaugh, Co Chair, pheinbaugh@haponline.org, or
- Eric Smith, Co Chair, mesmith@dubuis.org
To get started, we thought we'd begin with a few basic questions and answers.
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is the act of supporting or defending a cause; an advocate is one who pleads a cause on behalf of others.
Who can be an Advocate for Healthcare?
You can! By educating yourself on what your politicians and various lobbyist groups are proposing to congress and what is the bottom line.
How do I voice my opinion?
You can voice your concerns or opinions by either writing, calling, faxing or e-mailing your local representative, state senator, or congressman. If you don't have access to addresses, phone numbers, etc., call your state hospital association for information. The My Care Counts campaign recently launched by AHA is another way to let your legislators know that we need their support for our local hospitals and want to protect healthcare in their communities. AHA has asked us to sign an online "Call to Action" expressing your support by visiting www.MyCareCounts.org to add your name and to send this information on to Board members, volunteers, co-workers, family, friends and neighbors.
How can decisions pertaining to healthcare issues directly affect me?
Just by simply working with the leaders of your hospital and/or state hospital associations, you are in a position where you hear and see how cutting healthcare dollars or misappropriating these dollars can directly affect patient care. Taking the dollars away may mean that you may not have the care that you need, or it could mean that you will have to pay more money out of your pocket to get the healthcare that you need.
When Medicare/Medicaid dollars are cut back through a reduction of reimbursement dollars to hospitals and physicians, we see a tendency with physicians to discontinue accepting patients on Medicare/Medicaid.
Why should you care?
Because it's the right thing to do!
View Hot Topics in focus for the AHCAP Advocacy Committee
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