Federal Advocacy
Medicare expansion momentum grows in Congress as AOA mobilizes doctors, students
The AOA is hosting a profession-wide videoconference, Thursday, July 29, to discuss rapidly developing legislation to expand Medicare benefits and is seeking members’ input to inform advocacy.
Congress urges administration to fully implement provider nondiscrimination law
Regulators have taken a “hands-off” approach to this key ACA provision for a decade, but now members of Congress encourage full implementation of the law as originally intended.
New era ahead for Department of Veterans Affairs Optometry Service and doctors of optometry
With the recent retirement of John Townsend, O.D., as head of the VA’s Optometry Service, the Armed Forces Optometric Society and the AOA look forward to working together on continuing to build up access and care for veterans and their families.
AOA advocacy helps shape new U.S. House bill to expand essential eye health and vision coverage for Medicare beneficiaries
The AOA continues to be at the forefront of discussions with lawmakers over the makeup of new legislation that would grant all traditional Medicare beneficiaries a new refraction and materials benefit.
Take Action, Secure Change
AOA-backed DOC Access Act reintroduced to combat anti-competitive vision plans
Reintroduced in Congress, the bipartisan bills would curb anti-patient, anti-doctor mandates by vision plans and affirm doctor-patient relationship.
3 days, 5 priority issues, 300 Hill meetings and 700 of optometry's advocates
Colleagues met with their lawmakers to champion issues, including robocalls, vision plan abuses, a new Medicare vision benefit, provider nondiscrimination and VA optometry.
Contact lens prescription verification failings targeted by new legislation
The AOA-backed bill recently introduced in Congress would close some egregious loopholes in the problematic verification process, such as automated “robocalls.”
Get involved: 10 minutes to learn optometry’s advocacy
A limited-time, members-only course offers an introduction to professional advocacy as optometry’s advocates gear up for Virtual AOA on Capitol Hill, May 23-25.
Congress mulls Medicare’s COVID-19-accelerated telehealth allowances
Momentum builds on Capitol Hill for a permanent expansion of Medicare telehealth criteria—find out how optometry’s advocates are approaching the conversation.
2% Medicare sequester delayed, PAYGO technically still on table
Although Congressional action staved off an immediate 2% cut to providers’ Medicare payments this year, attention now shifts to additional cuts mandated by federal spending controls.