Big announcement! The Arthritis Foundation is excited to be hosting our top advocacy volunteers from around the country March 9-10, 2020, for theAdvocacy Leadership Retreatin Washington, DC.
在倡导领导静修会上，参与者将获得必要的战术技能，以动员当地社区打破护理障碍。这项301式的活动旨在为冠军级别的志愿者提供机会，向他们的同龄人传授和学习。Continue readingExpanding Your Expertise at the Live Yes! Advocacy Leadership Retreat
Living with arthritis can be a daily struggle. Your quality of health and life will be affected by how much you speak up for yourself. Here are some ways to be an effective self-advocate.Continue reading5 Ways to Advocate for Yourself
We are continuing our advocacy blog series meant to help youtake care当涉及到重要的关节炎保健和覆盖问题时。如果您现在刚刚进入这个系列，请查看我们以前的博客文章accumulator adjustment programs, pharmacistgag orders, President Trump’s drug pricingblueprint,drug rebates,premium increases, andan update on the Affordable Care Act.
Scores of the most passionate and vocal champions of the arthritis community recently descended on the nation’s capital to hone their advocacy skills and share their personal stories with each other and with their members of Congress. Attended by nearly 130 participants from 32 states, the Arthritis Foundation’s newPlatinum Ambassadors Assemblywas held March 12-13.
Platinum Ambassadorsare top grassroots volunteers who complete six annual advocacy assignments and raise at least $1,000 to support the Foundation’s mission to conquer and cure arthritis. Forty-eight of our fifty-one Platinum Ambassadors participated in the first-of-its-kind event, along with 25Junior Ambassadors, young people ages 13 to 17 who speak out for the estimated 300,000 kids in the U.S. who battle arthritis. Also attending were 30 future advocacy leaders, highly-engaged Arthritis Foundation volunteers who have committed to achieving Platinum Ambassador status in 2018.
Continue reading2018 Arthritis Platinum Ambassador Assembly Makes a Big Impact
Earlier this week, we held our first ever Platinum Ambassador Assembly in Washington, D.C. The Assembly is a meeting for our most highly engaged advocacy volunteers to hone their skills, meet other Platinum Ambassadors from around the country and share their stories with members of Congress. Our Junior Ambassadors and future leaders – volunteers committed to achieving Platinum Ambassador status in 2018 – were also in attendance to learn, share their stories and fight for the over 54 million Americans who are living with arthritis.
Continue readingPlatinum Ambassador Assembly – Highlights from Capitol Hill
2月28日，星期三，新墨西哥州和全国其他17个州一起通过了限制步进疗法的立法。新墨西哥州州长苏珊娜·马丁内斯(Susana Martinez)签署的参议院第11号法案(Senate Bill 11)改革了强制患者尝试保险公司选择的药物的程序，使患者在使用医生最初开出的药物之前“先失败”。
Step therapy是一种保险惯例，要求患者在允许使用更昂贵的药物之前使用较低成本的药物——不管你的医生开了什么。即使你已经服用了昂贵的药物并且效果良好，这种情况也可能发生。参议院第11号法案对这种做法进行了限制，并帮助病人更快地获得正确的药物。
Continue readingNM Governor Martinez Signs Senate Bill 11 into Law to Curb Step Therapy
On Wednesday, December 20, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). There were several health-related changes included in the legislation, such as a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, and changes to the medical expenditure tax deduction. Below we explain the key health provisions that made it into the final law, how it may impact you, and what’s next.
Let’s start with the individual mandate.
Continue readingAnswering Your Questions About the New Tax Reform Legislation
In 2016, I was fortunate to attend the Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Summit in Washington D.C. alongside some seasoned advocacy veterans from Denver. I had never met with my legislators or shared my story before, so it was a new experience. It was easy to “catch the bug” for advocacy being surrounded by so many other fellow arthritis patient advocates who want to make a difference for all of us. Raising awareness and fundraising for arthritis has been an integral part of my life for the past several years, but advocacy has become an even greater passion. This year, I achieved the Platinum Ambassador Award and will attend the Arthritis Foundation’sPlatinum Ambassador Assemblythis March 12-13, 2018.
Continue readingPlatinum Ambassador Spotlight—Rebecca Gillett, Colorado
From Lori Fagan
I have been living withrheumatoid arthritis (RA)for over a decade. As a full-time working mom and wife living with a chronic condition, the last thing I need is the added strain of fighting with my health insurer.
Unfortunately, because of a common health insurance practice known as “step therapy,” the last 10 years have been a constant and stressful battle.
On behalf of the more than 3.6 million New Yorkers (including 18,400 children) with doctor-diagnosed arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation thanks Governor Andrew Cuomo for signingbiosimilar legislationinto law. The new law, A.7509/S.4788, enhances patient access to new and innovative medications while ensuring that pharmacists are communicating critical and up-to-date medical information about patients to physicians.
Continue readingVictory in New York! Biosimilar Legislation Signed Into Law