Federal Advocacy
Fighting for veterans, fighting for optometry
Ensuring our nation’s veterans have access to the full range of eye care they need, when and where they need it, has long been a mission for optometry’s advocates. Now, a pair of Veterans Health Administration directives affecting optometry could have far-reaching consequences beyond the nation’s largest integrated health care network.
AOA-PAC plays outsized role in 2022 midterm elections
Access the AOA’s 2022 elections map to see how optometry’s candidates fared and where advocates can get involved to ensure the profession’s priorities remain heard.
Veterans notch win as VA rescinds restrictive language governing community ODs
Mississippi’s challenge of language recently inserted into Department of Veterans Affairs guidelines barring community doctors of optometry from providing so-called “invasive” eye procedures boosts veteran access to needed care.
Federal student loan forgiveness latest: Application now available
As the Department of Education releases an official application for loan forgiveness, optometry’s advocates continue to emphasize that eligibility for debt relief programs should not exclude optometry and greater options should be available for debt forgiveness programs.
Take Action, Secure Change
Brush up on AOA’s priority issues and connect with your lawmakers to urge their support.
At least 8.5% Medicare pay cut on table, AOA urging Congressional action
An AOA-backed measure before Congress would temporarily increase Medicare physician fee schedule rates to offset some of the statutory cuts now threatening doctors’ pay.
Medicare sequester cuts take effect as AOA fix expires; more cuts looming
The second of two Medicare sequester cuts took effect July 1 with up to 2.75% of Medicare physicians’ pay affected in 2022. Even more significant cuts are scheduled in 2023 without Congressional action.
AOA doctors, students cover Capitol Hill with push for bipartisan bill to curb plan abuses
AOA-led effort builds Congressional support for the DOC Access Act, delivering in-person briefings for members of Congress and strong backing from the American Dental Association and national pro-patient groups.
AOA and South Carolina doctors expose and defeat retail lobby group’s influence scheme
Already the subject of one complaint to the IRS, the National Association of Optometrists and Opticians (NAOO), a lobbying “front” for large optical retailers, was called out to legislators for deceptive tactics and seeking a self-serving overhaul of patient health and safety standards. The AOA follows up on winning activism of South Carolina doctors with a new push for a federal investigation of NAOO tax exempt status.
1% sequester cut on April 1: AOA urges Congress’ immediate attention on Medicare pay
The first of two Medicare sequester cuts loom on the horizon for doctors’ pay with additional cuts anticipated later this year. How AOA and others are working to avert an impending fiscal cliff.
AOA to CMS: Hold Medicare Advantage plans accountable
In a March 2 letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the AOA urged more action to support patient access to eye health and vision care under Medicare Advantage plans.