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ACP Grows State Health Policy Program to Support Chapter Advocacy
As partisan gridlock in Congress has continued to make federal legislation more and more difficult to pass, an increasing number of policy issues are being determined in large part at the state level. In response to this trend, ACP has grown our state health policy program that helps ACP members to advocate in their states on issues affecting them and their patients.
ACP has long offered state health policy toolkits as resources for members to better understand and take action in their states. These toolkits cover a variety of issues and are a starting point for advocacy with information on ACP policy and action-oriented resources. Some of the toolkits ACP has updated regularly throughout the last year include:
  • Future of Medicaid: Medicaid is the United States’ largest health insurance program, and this brief includes information on changes to the program in recent years, including the unwinding of Medicaid continuous enrollment following the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency.
  • Climate Change and Health: Updated with information on the latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, this toolkit includes information on ACP’s policies on environmental health and resources for education and action related to climate change and sustainability.
  • Attacks on Gender-Affirming and Transgender Health Care: As a growing number of states have moved to restrict access to gender-affirming care, this brief provides information on ACP’s policy and advocacy amidst a record of over 450 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures in 2023.
2023 also marked the first state legislative sessions since ACP National acquired legislative tracking software, which our team has used to identify and follow policy trends as they develop across the country. This software has aided in obtaining and sharing up-to-date information on bills in progress with our members and in our toolkits, and provides ACP’s advocacy staff with increased capabilities to engage state policymakers in our work.
In March 2023, ACP hosted our most recent State Health Policy Networking Webinar with policy updates and information on ACP’s advocacy priorities for 2023. The program featured ACP member Dr. Suleiman Lalani, an elected representative for Texas’ 76th House District, who shared his journey to becoming an advocate and tips for physicians looking to similarly grow their advocacy.
In the relatively smaller venue of state legislatures, physicians’ grassroots advocacy can create even more of an impact than in Congress, and ACP will continue to promote opportunities for our members to take action in their states. If you’d like to discuss opportunities for advocacy further, please contact ACP’s DC office using the Advocacy Assistance Request form. If you have an idea for a new state health policy toolkit or a topic to cover in a future State Health Policy Networking webinar, please share it with us in our Suggestion Box on ACP’s Legislative Action Center.