Advocacy
Below is a list of the legislative issues AAN is monitoring across throughout the country. Click on each issue to see if there is anything in your state.
Legislative priorities are determined by the AAN Government Relations Committee. If you would like to get involved in any of these efforts or if you did not see something you believe we should be monitoring contact Tim Miller at tmiller@aan.com.
Drug Legislation
Drug legislation currently being monitored includes anti-epileptic drug (AED) substitution, prescription drug monitoring program bills, and biosimilar legislation. Biosimilar legislation would prohibit a pharmacist from substituting a prescription with a biosimilar unless specific requirements are met.
Health Insurance Exchanges
A product of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, health insurance exchanges were created to provide individuals and small businesses the opportunity to shop for coverage options. States have the option to develop their own marketplaces or leave it up to the federal government to run the exchange in their state. Exchanges must be up and running by 2014.
Medical Liability Reform
With medical liability insurance premiums continuing to soar, the AAN continues to call for MICRA-style reforms, including caps on non-economic damages for plantiffs of no more than $250,000, tighter standards for witness review, and reimbursement of defendant court costs when cases are over pursued.
Scope of Practice Legislation
The AAN continues to defend neurology by monitoring state legislation that might have an effect on our profession and our patients. This includes following legislation pertaining to EMG and intraoperative monitoring. The AAN opposes efforts by non-physicians to permit the performance of these procedures without proper training and/or supervision.
Sports Concussion Legislation
Concussion is a common consequence of trauma to the head in contact sports, estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to occur three million times in the United States each year. Among people aged 15 to 24 years, sports are now second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of traumatic brain injury. Legislatures across the country have been implementing new sports concussion regulations as more information comes out.
Telemedicine and Stroke Care Legislation
The AAN supports several stroke care initiatives, including primary stroke center designation, implementing rural stroke care regulations, and telemedicine and reimbursement issues. Several states have also recently introduced bills that would require insurance to cover telemedicine services.
