Action Items

• NEW! Join the Consumers First coalition and comment on critical payment and delivery reforms in the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) (due COB September 12)

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! Alliance for Fair Health Pricing Virtual Launch Event, September 21 at 1pm ET
• NEW! South Dakota Love Your Neighbor Tour, a state-wide tour focused on informing voters about the need to expand Medicaid in South Dakota  (September 20- September 24)
• 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

• Health Equity
  • NEW! Families USA White Paper: A Hard Day's Work: Promoting Sustainable Financing for Community Health Workers
  • National Health Law Program's 1557 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
  • NEW! Consumers First Comment Letter to CMS regarding CY 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule
  • 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
  • NEW! Families USA Comment: Comments on "Medically Necessary" Dental Coverage in Proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
  • 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
• Medicaid
  • NEW! Families USA Fact Sheet: Not a Moment to Lose: Critical Changes States Should Implement to Prevent Medicaid Coverage Losses
• Surprise Medical Bills
  • Families USA Statement: Biden Administration’s Actions Will Protect Millions Of Families From Financial Ruin When Seeking Medical Care 
  • 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
• 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