DFA Round Up – March 9, 2018

MEMBERS IN ACTION

National

Dr Rich Joseph penned an op-ed published in the New York Times, directed towards innovating physician training.

DFA board member Dr Krishnan Narasimhan was interviewed by Healthline about the increasing popularity of the ACA.

Doctors for America is pleased to announce the addition of medical student Justin Lowenthal to the Board of Directors. Justin is a MD/PhD student at Johns Hopkins University and also serves as the Maryland State Director. Learn more about Justin by visiting our leadership page.

Maryland

DFA – Hopkins co-hosted an event with the Johns Hopkins Schools of Nursing, Medicine, and Public Health titled “Advocacy: The right prescription for tough times” featuring former US Senator Barbara Mikulski and DFA member Dr Richard Bruno. The event was aimed at encouraging health professional and students to become advocates for their patients and ensure that their care is at the forefront of the health reform conversations in Washington, DC, as well as in state-wide and local policymaking.

Along with medical students from the University of Maryland, DFA – Hopkins attended a press conference at the City Hall to support a bill that would make healthy drinking options (water, milk, 100% fruit juice) the default choice for children in Baltimore. DFA – Maryland State Director and board member Justin Lowenthal spoke at the event. The bill brought to the floor following the press conference and passed unanimously Baltimore City is now the largest city on the East Coast to have such a law in place.

California

DFA California State Director Dr Parveen Parmar was interviewed by Healthline about the potential decrease in ACA marketplace enrollment in 2019.

Washington

Medical students and physicians are continuing to push for gun violence to be addressed as a public health issue.

Gun Violence Prevention Campaign 

411 individuals and organizations signed onto DFA’s statement on gun violence prevention. 

Prescription Drug Value, Pricing, and Affordability Campaign

Yale medical student Eamon Duffy helped organize and publicize a well-attended event at the Yale law school on cancer policy, “The Policy, Politics, and Law of Cancer”

Medical students Justin Lowenthal and Hussain Lalani submitted written testimony on behalf of Doctors for America – Maryland and the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network Baltimore Chapter in support 2 bills the Maryland General Assembly is considering related to prescription drug pricing policy this year:

  • Oregon passed a bill on Drug Price Transparency that goes to the governor for signature. Under the Oregon bill, manufacturers would have to compile a report on each prescription drug if: The price was $100 or more for a one-month supply or for a course of treatment lasting less than one month, and there was a net price increase of 10% or more. For such drugs, companies would have to supply a lot of information to the state, including : “factors that contributed to the price increase,” research and development costs, direct costs incurred to manufacture, market and distribute the drug, as well as the “10 highest prices paid for the prescription drug during the previous calendar year in any country other than the United States.”
  • Jill Zorn Universal Health Care Foundation CT has asked campaign members to provide written or in person testimony on drug affordability bills
  • In Minnesota, a legislative aide has contacted campaign members about drug affordability legislation being proposed in that state.
Member Activity