Submitted by Amy McIntyre:

Greetings RIAFP Members!

It has been a pleasure to serve as your student liaison to the RIAFP Executive Board over the past 4 years. Currently I am also serving as the student member of the AAFP Board of Directors. I am honored to represent my fellow students across the nation as well as my home state of Rhode Island. This article serves as an update on a health policy activities on both the state and national level.

The RI General Assembly is considering a number of bills related to health care that could significantly affect patients and family physicians across the state. I had the opportunity to testify on behalf of the RIAFP at the House Finance Committee in late March in favor of H5841, the RIte Care Premium Relief Legislation. RI is the only state in New England to charge premiums to some families earning less than 150% of the federal poverty level, and this bill would eliminate or reduce premiums paid by low-income Rhode Islanders depending on their income. Many families have been dropped from RIte Care due to nonpayment since the premium hikes in 2008. RIAFP was the only physician group represented at the hearing, although RIMS and RIAAP submitted letters of support as well. RI Kids Count and the Poverty Institute at RIC also offered testimony in favor of the bill. Currently the House Finance Committee has recommended the bill be held for further study.

If you would like to be a voice for primary care in RI, I urge you to join the RIAFP public relations committee. Attend a meeting. Testify at the State House. Call your representatives and senators. We have a role to advocate for our patients and ourselves, and your state Academy needs YOU as a partner in the process!

Turning our attention to Washington, DC, I would like to provide an update on some exciting developments on the national level as Congress embarks on serious health reform for our nation. Primary care is at the center of discussions on Capitol Hill, and this is in no small part thanks to the hard work of the AAFP, it's Governmental Relations staff, and your elected officials in the Academy. At President Obama's White House Forum on Health Reform in March, one physician was called upon to represent the voice of medicine at that key meeting. While the AMA, AAP, ACP, and others were present, the President identified a family physician - Dr. Ted Epperly, President of the AAFP - to be the voice of physicians at the summit. This was an incredible moment highlighting the importance of primary care - especially family physicians - in the President's health reform agenda. The AAFP has been in close contact with the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Max Baucus of Montana, who is dedicated to health reform legislation this year along with Senator Ted Kennedy. These are incredibly exciting times, and the AAFP is at the center along with its partners in the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC, www.pcpcc.net). Together they serve as a trusted voice for our legislators as they craft health reform legislation to expand coverage, bolster primary care payment, and promote the patient-centered medical home.

Just as we need your voice on the state level, the AAFP needs your input as we guide Congress in the health reform debate. The AAFP has developed a grassroots e-advocacy tool called Connect for Reform that keeps you updated on the key issues and players and provides simple ways for you to be engaged in the process. Visit www.aafp.org and click on the link for Connect for Reform. Fill out the short survey to get involved! Also, for regular advocacy updates, look for the weekly edition of AAFP News Now, which can also be found on the AAFP website.

Thank you for all that you do for the patients and communities in our state. You are an inspiration to me as I embark on my career as a future family physician. I am proud to serve and represent you!