Pub. 2 2018 Issue 1

Jennifer Dailey-Provost, MBA Opportunity to make a Difference EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE L ike all General Legislative sessions in Utah, 2018 was a whirlwind of activity and change. For the past sever- al years, the UAFP has worked hard to keep a seat at the table, ensuring that Family Medicine has a clear, consistent voice in policy decisions. Our Legislative standing committee is filled with dedicated Family Physician members, and it is they who guide decisions about how the Academy will advocate for policy issues in our state. If you’re passionate about policy and governmental affairs in Utah, please join the committee: email support@utahafp.org. Utah’s 104 legislators (75 in the House, 29 in the Senate) opened a whopping 1,300+ bill files, 821 of which were num- bered – meaning they were official bills and received the consideration of legislators at vario us committees and floor debates. Some bills are relatively si mple, others are impos- sibly complex. Regardless, this eno rmous amount of infor- mation outstrips the bandwidth of even the most engaged, hard-working legislators. That is where the UAFP comes in. As a lobbyist for the UAFP, the role of the Executive Director is to educate and inform policy makers about the critical im- plications of legislation on health care providers and patients in our state. Keeping that primary goal in mind, here are some highlights from this year’s adventures: • HB12: Family Planning Services Amendments, sponsored by UAFP member, Family Physician, and House Representa- tive Ray Ward. This bill provides funding for post-placental placement of long-acting, reversible contraceptives for low income women. o Status: UAFP Support – bill passed • HB24: Autism Insurance Coverage Amendments Sunset, which eliminated the original sunset date for coverage of these essential services. The UAFP worked with Sen. Brian Shiozawa in 2014 to help pass this bill. The sunset was added as a concession to the insurance industry, who wor- ried that this coverage would harm their bottom line. Three years later, we were able to demonstrate that the financial effect for the insurance industry was negligible, and that the patient outcomes for children with autism have improved dramatically. The removal of this sunset date means that the law will stay and families will have access to essential services for their children. o Status: UAFP Support – bill passed As always, thank you for being a member of the Utah Academy of Family Physicians. It is an honor to serve at the capitol on your behalf. • HS87: Suicide Preven tion Training Amendments was a bill that was designed to le gislate the type of CME that Utah phy- sicians are required to complete. In response to the rising tide of suicide, particul arly among youth, leaders in our state are seeking possible solutions. The problem is, not all solu- tions have the intended outcomes and the Academy felt that this bill was not only a slippery slope of over-regulation of physician education, but that it would divert resources away from solutions that would actually move the needle on our suicide rates. We encouraged legislators to consider the fact that the real problem with screening for suicide risk is the sig- nificant shortage of mental health care treatment resources in our state. o Status: UAFP Oppose – bill failed • HB88: Electronic Cigarettes and Other Nicotine Product Amendments was another attempt to finally impose a tobac- co tax on e-cigarette products. Our state continues to see a drastic increase in the youth use of these products – over 30 percent of our children, grades 8 – 12 have used them in the last 30 days. Studies consistently show that children are far more sensitive to price changes, and while a tax on e- cigarettes is not a silver bullet, it is an important piece of the puzzle in stemming this dangerous tide that is leading us to a new generation who are addicted to nicotine. o Status: UAFP support – bill failed • SB223: Medical Treatment Prior Authorization, sponsored by Senator Evan Vickers, is one of the Academy’s top priori- ties and was originally a UAFP-sponsored resolution at the UMA House of Delegates. This bill seeks to standardize the prior authorization process for all insurance plans across all insurance companies, requires responses on requests within www.UtahAFP.org | 4