AOPA Working for You

Getting Lawmakers to Pay Attention to O&P

Lobbying on Capitol Hill is a process. AOPA has found that with time and repeated contact, legislators are often moved to act. About three times per year, AOPA invites legislators to share a meal with O&P professionals and learn more about our concerns.

For example, in May, AOPA and representatives of the O&P Alliance held separate meetings with Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, to discuss the need for stronger compliance with qualified provider requirements outlined in the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA). Despite the passage of BIPA, which Sen. Harkin supported, Medicare has not yet implemented this important provision.

After these discussions, Harkin showed concern, and Rangel asked for suggestions on implementing the standards. AOPA and the O&P Alliance will follow up with both.

You can follow up too. Lawmakers agree that some of the most influential people on Capitol Hill are constituents—voters just like you.

Marc N. Karn, CP, president of Maine Artificial Limb & Orthotics, explains the impact of practitioner stories: “Most people think that amputees get a single limb, off the shelf at the drugstore, for life. They don’t know that prostheses require constant adjustments and need to be replaced over time.”

To tell your story, follow these steps:

Find out who your representatives are and when they’ll be in their home districts. For the House of Representatives, call (202) 224-3121 or visit www.house.gov. For the Senate, call (202) 224-3121 or visit www.senate.gov.

Contact AOPA staff expert Daniel Gurley for a Legislative Action Tool Kit, which includes tips for personal visits, a guide to legislative jargon, sample talking points, and guidelines for conducting facility visits: (571) 431-0876, ext. 212 or dgurley@AOPAnet.org.