Q&A: ACP president pens letter to Trump administration

Key takeaways:

• The ACP’s president published a letter to the presidential transition team, outlining the organization’s priorities.
• Those include strengthening primary care and patients’ access to it.

The ACP will work with the incoming administration on common ground to promote the health of Americans, according to letter from the college’s president.

Isaac O. Opole, MBChB, PHD, MACP, president of the American College of Physicians, wrote to the presidential transition team on behalf of the organization. The letter identified the college’s priorities to promote health in the United States and offered assistance in addressing the issues.

The ACP regularly sends these types of letters to presidential transition teams, but this is the first to be published, marking a new tradition that aims to inform the medical community of the ACP’s advocacy priorities, according to the letter.

Healio spoke with Opole to learn more about the ACP’s focus areas, what aid the organization hopes to provide to the second Trump administration and more.

Healio: Why was it important for the ACP to publish this letter?

Opole: The letter summarized our initial policy priorities for the incoming administration and indicated our willingness to work with the administration to improve the health of Americans and the professional satisfaction of our members. Although the letter was directly delivered to the transition team, we felt it was important to publicly state our positions for and on behalf of our membership through our flagship journal, the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Healio: What key points did your letter include?

Opole: The new administration should promulgate and support policies that strengthen primary care and improve patient access and health outcomes. It should work with Congress to extend and make permanent health insurance tax credits that are critical for continuing coverage for at least 3.4 million Americans. Next, the administration should work with Congress and federal agencies to remove administrative burdens and red tape, such as prior authorization and step therapy, that impair physicians’ ability to provide the most appropriate, evidence-based care for their patients.

Finally, the administration should continue to use proven public health interventions such as vaccines and deploy evidence-based strategies in its approach to protecting public health.

Healio: What does the ACP want the transition team to know?

Opole: That the ACP pledges to work with the new administration on areas where we can find agreement, to improve the health and well-being of all Americans and support the physician and healthcare workforce.

Healio: What are some actions the incoming administration could take to improve health and well-being in the U.S.?

Opole: We hope that the incoming administration will work with the ACP and support or promote the following items on our policy agenda:

• ensuring access to care by supporting policies to make health care more affordable, preserving telehealth coverage and integrating behavioral health into primary care;
• protecting the patient-physician relationship;
• ensuring prescription drug affordability;
• investing in public health initiatives and research;
• promoting physician-led, team-based care;
• supporting and enhancing digital health and AI to improve patient care and reduce administrative burdens; and
• strengthening the internal medicine and primary care physician workforce by reducing administrative burdens and ensuring fair and appropriate compensation for their work.

Healio: What are the ACP’s expectations for the incoming administration and its policies?

Opole: The ACP’s policy positions on issues important to internal medicine physicians remain the same, regardless of who is in the [Oval] Office. Our intention is to constructively engage with the new administration and help them to craft policies that improve the health of all Americans. This is what we have always done with each new administration, and we hope to continue to engage with this administration.

The first Trump administration took actions that align with some of our goals and supported policies aimed at improving the health and well-being of Americans, such as funding “Operation Warp Speed” to accelerate vaccine production, reducing the cost of prescription drugs such as insulin, reduction of administrative burdens for all physicians and taking steps toward appropriately valuing primary care. We are optimistic that our continued engagement with the administration will build on some of these successes and create new opportunities in other areas.

Healio: What should primary care providers know about the ACP’s priorities? Is there anything they should keep in mind, especially during the ongoing transition?

Opole: The ACP is acutely aware of the crisis in primary care and is an untiring champion and representative of all physicians who practice primary care. We recognize that without concerted action, the primary care “machine” will grind to a halt, and we have literally beaten the drum and advocated for a change to the status quo for decades. Two of my president’s columns last year directly address this issue. Physicians practicing primary care should know that the ACP will continue to aggressively pursue our advocacy agenda in primary care with the new administration.

Healio: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Opole: In 2020, the college published a series of position papers themed “Better is Possible.” These papers outlined our vision for a better health care system for all Americans. We affirm that vision and stand ready, in concert with other health care professional organizations, to work with the administration and craft policies that change the adverse trajectory of the current system and ensure that Americans have the best health outcomes on the planet.

References:

Better is possible: ACP's vision for the U.S. health care system. Available at: https://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where-we-stand/better-is-possible-acps-vision-for-the-us-health-care-system. Accessed Jan. 27, 2025.
Better is still possible: Promoting improved health for all. Available at: https://immattersacp.org/archives/2024/06/better-is-still-possible-promoting-improved-health-for-all.htm. Published June 2024. Accessed Jan. 27, 2025.
Opole IO. Ann Intern Med. 2025;doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-04125.
When the doctor will (not) see you now. Available at: https://immattersacp.org/archives/2024/11/when-the-doctor-will-not-see-you-now.htm. Published November/December 2024. Accessed Jan. 27, 2025.