capitol hill report: TOP 10 AAN ADVOCACY SUCCESSES

December 28, 2021

Last January, the Academy outlined our key advocacy priorities for 2021. In spite of a tumultuous political environment, our member leadership and advocacy staff worked both sides of the aisle to find common ground to advance the interests of our patients and profession. Here are 10 crucial ways the AAN has advocated successfully on your behalf this year:

Reimbursements

The AAN helped to persuade Congress to avert the “Medicare Cliff” that otherwise would have caused a nearly 10-percent reduction to Medicare reimbursement on January 1, 2022.

Telemedicine

The AAN rallied Congress to support key telehealth initiatives, including approving $65 billion investment into fast, reliable, and affordable broadband infrastructure, and getting a majority of federal lawmakers on record in support of retaining key telehealth reforms permanently. The Academy also supported proposals in the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) that increase access to telehealth services, such as extending flexibilities through 2023.

High Cost of Prescription Medications

After years of AAN advocacy, the House of Representatives voted to permit Medicare to directly negotiate some prescription drug prices for the first time. This legislation is pending in the Senate.

Medical Research

Congress has proposed historic levels of funding for federal medical research for fiscal year 2022, including significant increases to the National Institutes of Health and the BRAIN Initiative.

Neurology Workforce

The House of Representatives approved 4,000 new federally funded GME slots (pending in the Senate), building on the 1,000 new slots last year for the first time in decades. Additionally, the AAN created a new coalition to expand and improve the Conrad 30 program, resulting in a record level of support for this initiative in the Senate.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-racism, and Social Justice (IDEAS)

The AAN is firmly committed to embracing the diversity of our members, staff, organization, profession, and, ultimately, the patient communities we serve. To that end, we have engaged with various stakeholders and peer organizations to affect such positive change, including responding to a Request for Information regarding health equity in our 2022 MPFS comments and endorsing a significant expansion of affordability and access to health care insurance in part because of its impact on health equity.

Care for America’s Veterans

The AAN persuaded Congress to release a strong statement of support for the VA Neurology Centers of Excellence that focus on care for veterans with epilepsy, headache, MS, and Parkinson disease, which already is driving new investments into these centers for the first time in many years.

Aducanumab Advocacy

The AAN engaged with stakeholders and regulators to answer key questions posed by the approval of aducanumab (marketed as Aduhelm) for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The Academy successfully advocated for the FDA to narrow the label for this therapy to ensure access to only those patients for whom the drug is appropriate and we continue to work with CMS on the National Coverage Analysis that is ongoing.

Regulatory Relief

The AAN continues to advocate for reduced regulatory burdens across the Medicare program, including having 1,700 AAN members participate in our #FixPriorAuth week of action over the summer that helped get a majority of the House of Representatives in support of bipartisan legislation that would increase transparency and streamline prior authorization in the Medicare Advantage program.

COVID-19 Vaccines

The AAN has strongly supported the vaccination efforts of health care workers and patients alike. The AAN signed on to a letter encouraging the Biden administration to implement a vaccine mandate for health care workers. Since then, the administration has put forth such a mandate and the AAN will submit official comments in support of that mandate in the coming weeks.