1. AST Public Policy Committee and Washington, DC Office Update
The AST Public Policy Committee and the Washington, DC office is busy with multiple initiatives each week on Capitol Hill and within the Administration. In the last 6 months they have met with HHS Secretary Sebelius, Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Koh, as well as AHRQ, HRSA, CDC and CMS. They are actively involved each week with all of these offices on issues including:
- Biovigilance
- Blood Safety
- Transplant policy coordination within HHS
- Essential Health Benefit and
- Health exchanges/reform implementation (impact on transplant patients and physicians)
2. AST in the States - Transplant Medicaid Coverages
There has been success in Arizona by securing patient transplant coverage. The AST Public Policy Committee and the Washington, DC office are now focused on Colorado and monitoring all 50 states as they re-examine their Medicaid coverages and are currently conducting hearings and reviews.
3. Transplant Patient Legislation
On the legislative front, they continue to be the coordinating Association for introduction of federal transplant patient coverage. In the last 3 weeks, the Washington, DC office have been on Capitol Hill meeting with Senior Democratic Majority leaders in the Senate and Republican Majority leaders in the House (as well as all of the bipartisan supporters/champions). There is an expected joint introduction of legislation in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in the next month.
4. AST and Transplant Community
Within the transplant community, the Washington, DC office have continued to be a leader of the Transplant Roundtable and have been spending time each week lobbying jointly with NKF, ASTS and others... to present a unified and consistent message to federal decision-makers on the Hill and within HHS.
5. Political Activities
AST's lobbying firm Bryan Cave, LLP has also been hosting a variety of healthcare Members of Congress at their offices for breakfast and lunch political events to support those House and Senate Democrats and Republicans that support transplantation.
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