Calling On Your Grassroots Advocacy To Pass The HELLPP Act

The Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians (HELLPP) Act is APMA’s legislative focus for the 116th congressional session and was introduced into the House on April 10, 2019 by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Bill Johnson (R-OH). APMA’s legislative advocacy department and legislative committee began preparations for introduction of the HELLPP Act in 2019 with a multipronged, targeted approach, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” The legislative advocacy department and committee put in the hard work, analyzed our prior success and failures, and prepared a strategic plan. Now the profession is calling on you to do your part to ensure success and end a 24-year old journey to passing our Medicaid “physician recognition” bill.

The groundwork for passage of the HELLLPP Act is complete and the time for grassroots activism is now.

We are going to be asking you to do three specific calls to action via email, social media and in person. The specific ask to your member of congress is for cosponsorship of the HELLPP Act. If they have already signed-on as a cosponsor, then a simple thank you is all that is required.

Step one is to use APMA’s eAdvocacy site (https://www.apma.org/eAdvocacy ) to email your member of congress regarding the HELLPP Act. The platform is simple, efficient and easy to use. The email will go to your House Representative AND share your advocacy on behalf of the profession on social media to inspire others. The APMA platform is open to the public and engaging your friends and family to use the website helps tremendously.

Step two is to call the office of your local representative in the House of Representatives. Steps to effective congressional office calling are detailed here (https://bit.ly/2XrbVdd ). Following these time-tested, step-by-step instructions makes this process less intimidating while producing effective results.

Step three is to schedule an in-district meeting with your member of congress. You can attempt to meet the member at an in-district event or at his or her local office. Better yet, invite the Congress member to visit your office to meet some of your patients and get a firsthand look at what podiatric medicine and surgery entails. Another good option for an in-district meeting is to host a fundraiser in conjunction with your state association. Contact our staff at pac@apma.org if you’re interested in this.

The groundwork for success laid by APMA’s legislative advocacy department and committee positioned the profession for its second legislative victory in a two-year time span. Your contributions are key to aligning all the pieces of the puzzle. Please do your part.

Editor’s note: This DPM Blog was originally published in the March/April 2019 edition of APMA News and has been adapted with permission from the APMA.