Arthritis Foundation
Arthritis Ambassador Briefing
Dial In: 1-866-487-9460
Conference Code: # 931 709 2991
Materials available for download at
http://www.arthritis.org/ambassador_assignment.php
November 11, 2014
3PM Eastern
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Welcome/Introduction
Laura Keivel, Manager of Grassroots Advocacy
2014 Election Review
David Wasserman, The Cook Political Report
What’s Next in Federal Priorities?
Anna Hyde, Director of Health Policy and Federal Affairs
What’s Happening in the States?
Mark Guimond, Director of State Government Relations
November / December Ambassador Assignment
Laura Keivel, Manager of Grassroots Advocacy
Ambassador Year End Review
Laura Keivel, Manager of Grassroots Advocacy
Advocacy Summit
Laura Keivel, Manager of Grassroots Advocacy
Q&A
Welcome!
Happy Veteran’s Day
• Final Ambassador briefing of 2014
• Grassroots Advocacy Manager
position
2014 Election Review
David Wasserman
House Editor
The Cook Political Report
What’s Next on the Federal
Landscape?
Anna Hyde
Director, Health Policy and Federal Affairs
What’s Next on the Federal
Landscape?
• Republicans now hold a majority of both the House and
Senate, with 13 House seats and 7 Senate seats.
• There will be at least 66 new Representatives Senators in the
114th Congress.
• 10 Members of the Arthritis Caucus will not be coming back in
the 114th Congress.
• 21 co-sponsors of HR 460 will not be coming back in the 114th
Congress.
• Bottom line: We have a lot of work to do to educate the new
Members of Congress about our issues, increase membership
of the Caucus, and increase support for HR 460.
Issues for the Lame Duck
• Congress will have to pass an appropriations bill by Dec 11 to
keep the government funded.
• This could be a short-term continuing resolution, or this could
be an omnibus bill that combines multiple spending bills into
one.
• Our main issue: the Senate bill zeroes out the CDC Arthritis
Program; a CR would protect this funding, an omnibus might
put it in jeopardy.
• We will be watching this closely and mobilizing our
Ambassadors as needed.
Gearing Up for 2015
• Re-introducing the Patients’ Access to Treatment Act:
– Continuing our op-ed strategy (we got at least one placed
over October recess…way to go Ambassadors!).
– Working with the Coalition for Accessible Treatments to
increase House co-sponsors and get a Senate companion
bill introduced.
– Planning a big, splashy briefing upon re-introduction of the
bill.
New Opportunities at FDA
• The FDA is seeking comments on ways to include the patient
perspective in the drug development process.
• We want to hear from you!
– Have you engaged with the FDA before? If so, what was your
experience like?
– Do you have any ideas about how the FDA should include you in their
work?
– What would be the best way for the FDA to communicate with you
about the work they are doing?
• There will also be upcoming opportunities to serve as a
patient representative on FDA Advisory Councils. Stay tuned
for more information!
State Legislation Update
Mark Guimond
Director of State Legislative Affairs
2015 State Legislative Priorities
•
•
•
•
•
Out-of-Pocket Costs
Biosimilars
Step Therapy
Formulary Transparency
Prior Authorization
Recent 2014 Major Ambassador
Policy Engagements
•
•
•
•
•
CA S. 1052 – Formulary Transparency
MD H. 761 - Out of Pocket Cap
LA S. 165 – Out of Pocket Cap
Iowa Insurance Commissioner
Idaho Board of Pharmacy
New AF Position Statements
State Legislation Update
We need your personal stories!
•
•
•
•
Are you having issues with step therapy?
Are you personally experiencing specialty tier issues?
Have you heard of biosimilars issues in your state?
Any other issues we should know about?
Let us know! Contact Mark Guimond at
mguimond@arthritis.org
November / December Assignment
Invite your member of Congress and Senators
to Arthritis 101
What is Arthritis 101?
A briefing to educate Congress about arthritis
and our legislative priorities
Why?
Congress has many misconceptions about
arthritis and we want to clear them up!
15
Arthritis 101 Speakers
• Dr. Jan Wyatt, Former Arthritis Foundation Board Member
and Patient
• Margo Diehl, Juvenile Arthritis patient
• Dr. Harry Gewanter, pediatric rheumatologist, Pediatric and
Adolescent Health Partners
• Dr. Randeep Kahlon (invited), orthopedic surgeon, First State
Orthopaedics
• Devon Seibert, Legislative Director, Rep. David McKinley
• Erin Wise, Health Legislative Assistant, Rep. Anna Eshoo
16
Assignment Resources
• A manual with an invitations and scripts is available
on the Ambassador website
• Polite persistence is key in inviting!
• It’s a busy time but make sure the staff knows this
briefing is important
17
Ambassador Assignment Resources
• Report your activity in the reporting center ONLY
when it is complete!
• Need assistance with the reporting center? Check
out our guide on the Ambassador website!
Reminder:
Check your 2014 reporting by Friday, November 14th!
18
Stay Tuned for January’s Exciting Activity!
You WON’T want to miss this!
January 14, 2015
3:00 PM Eastern
Welcome Back Congress initiative
A push for Patients’ Access to Treatment’s Act reintroduction and
educating Congress about arthritis
Ambassador Commitment forms will be available in
mid-December and due by the January 31
19
Ambassador Year End Wrap Up
• Over 40 offices visited during 2014 August recess with 3 new Congressional
Arthritis Caucus members added
• 940 E-Advocates recruited across the country in April 2014 by
Ambassadors
• 23 Co-sponsors added to H.R. 460 as a result of the Ambassadors
• 15 Co-sponsors added to H.R. 1827 as a result of the Ambassadors
• Over 5,523 letters sent to Congressional offices by Ambassadors and
advocates in 2014 (HR460 and CDMRP Funding)
• Over 100 new Ambassadors joined the program since May 2014
• Over 362 Ambassador assignments completed and over 200 bonus
assignments completed!
20
Save the Date!
2015 Advocacy Summit
March 23-24
Doubletree Hotel Crystal City
21
Questions?
Contact Laura Keivel
Manager of Grassroots Advocacy
lkeivel@arthritis.org
202-887-2913
22
Thank You!
We appreciate all of your support and
dedication!
The next Ambassador call is
January 14, 2015
3:00 PM Eastern
23