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AOA advocates optometry agenda on Capitol Hill
More than 500 American Optometric Association member doctors and students met with legislators in Washington April 12 to 14 to advocate for comprehensive eye exams for seniors and two bills to benefit optometrists.
The AOA announced in a press release that its Congressional Advocacy Conference was also an opportunity for the organization to “reinforce its support for a sustainable growth rate reform bill that solidifies optometry’s central role in Medicare for decades to come.”
During the conference, the Senate approved a bill that would do away with the payment formula, the AOA reported.
Official from the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, AARP and AOA leaders joined during the conference to discuss “removing policy barriers that prevent seniors’ comprehensive eye exams,” the AOA said.
Optometric participants also urged their Congressional representatives to support two key bills: National Health Service Corps bill (HR 1312/S 898) and Optometric Residencies in the VA (HR 1688).
According to the AOA, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) bill “aims to make ODs eligible once again for NHSC scholarship and loan repayment programs while they aid underserved populations.”
At last Congress, the bill had 145 co-sponsors in the House and 12 supporters in the Senate, the AOA said.
The residency bill “would amend the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 to increase 10% residency positions specifically for doctors of optometry,” the AOA stated. It was last referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.