Action Items

• NEW! Join the Consumers First coalition and comment on critical payment and delivery reforms in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) (due COB September 2) and Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) (due COB September 12)
• NEW! Comment on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule to advance Medicare dental coverage
  • You may utilize Families USA's template comments
  • Submit comments here by September 6 at 5:00EST

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• NEW! Families USA Health Justice Now Webinar: Effective Use of Peer Supports in Behavioral Health Care and Crisis Intervention, September 12 at 3pm ET
• NEW! Hamkae Center September Healing Circles to Process Anti-Asian Violence
• National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)'s annual conference: Forecast for State Health Policy (September 12-14)
• Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States: 2022 Sex Ed on the Hill Convening (September 20-21)
  • Register now, since space is limited!
  • Read their fact sheet on the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act
• Community Catalyst's virtual convening: Anchoring Race Equity and Advancing Health Justice (September 20-22)
  • Register by September 10
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Advancing Health Equity (AHE) Learning Collaborative
  • Applications are due by September 23

Resources for Your Health Advocacy

• Medicaid
  • NEW! Families USA Fact Sheet: Not a Moment to Lose: Critical Changes States Should Implement to Prevent Medicaid Coverage Losses
• Surprise Medical Bills
  • NEW! Families USA Statement: Biden Administration’s Actions Will Protect Millions Of Families From Financial Ruin When Seeking Medical Care 
  • NEW! Families USA No Surprises Act Twitter Space Recording
  • Families USA Fact Sheet: New Protections from Unexpected Medical Bills: What You Need to Know About the No Surprises Act
    • Spanish version: Nuevas protecciones contra facturas médicas inesperadas: Lo que necesita saber sobre la Ley Sin Sopresas
• Inflation Reduction Act
  • Families USA's Insights Column: What the "Inflation Reduction Act" Means for Our Health
• Health Equity
  • National Health Law Program's comment post: Stop Discrimination in Health Care!
  • Families USA Analysis: Community Voice and Equitable Policymaking in the United States: Lessons from Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution
• Health Care Value
  • Families USA Comment Letter: Request for Information on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Initiative to Strengthen Primary Health Care
  • Consumers First: Comment Letter to Federal Government on the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule
  • Families USA Paper: Our Health Care System Has Lost Its Way
• Oral Health
  • CareQuest Institute for Oral Health: Medicaid Adult Dental Coverage Checker
  • Families USA Insights Column: Time for Medicare to Cover Our Entire Body
  • Families USA Fact Sheet: The Time is Now for Administrative Action to Improve Medicare Dental Coverage
  • Families USA Comment: Medicare Oral Health Coalition Applauds CMS' Inclusion of "Medically Necessary" Dental in Proposed 2023 MPFS
  • "Dear Colleague" Letters to CMS on Medically Necessary Dental Coverage from House Representatives and from Senators
• Reproductive Health and Abortion
  • National Partnership for Women & Families Issue Brief: State Abortion Bans Could Harm Nearly 15 Million Women of Color
  • Guttmacher Institute Interactive Map: US Abortion Policies and Access After Roe
  • INeedAnA.com: Find a clinic - to find vetted, up-to-date, and personalized info on how to get an abortion; no search or user data saved
  • ReproLegal Helpline: a free, confidential source for legal advice and information about abortion
    • Visit their website or call 844-868-2812
  • M+A Hotline: a confidential, private, and secure phone and text hotline for people in need of support for self-managed miscarriage or abortion
  • Keep Our Clinics: Support independent community providers who provide the majority of abortion care in the US
  • Donate to Abortion Funds (and amplify calls for donations): A donation to the National Network of Abortion Funds brings abortion funds closer to a future where all people have access to abortion without shame or stigma
• Behavioral Health
  • Families USA Advocacy Guide: Peer Supports in Behavioral Health Care: A 2022 Resource Guide for Advocates