polarbebe Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Received this email from AAPA today: Dear AAPA Member, Let's strengthen the voice of the PA profession in the U.S. Congress. AAPA’s Political Action Committee, PA PAC, would be one of the nation's strongest healthcare PACs if each AAPA member contributed $25. It is essential that we grow PA PAC in order to build even greater bipartisan support for the PA profession on Capitol Hill. Congress’ mid-term elections are fast approaching. The outcome will shape the healthcare agenda for years to come, including critically important issues for the PA profession, such as: Removal of federal practice barriers for PAs Medicare modernization Complex chronic care coordination Telehealth Behavioral healthcare, including treatment for opioid addiction. With your help, AAPA can achieve its legislative goals. In less than two years, the Nurse Practitioner PAC grew from $80,000 to over $437,000. During the first two quarters of 2014, the NP PAC raised $189,568, compared to $43,433 raised by PA PAC. With just a $25 contribution from every AAPA member, PA PAC’s growth would exceed the majority of federal healthcare PACs, including the NP PAC. That’s why it’s so important that you donate to PA PAC today. Your support matters! Thank you in advance for your generosity and active involvement in AAPA’s political advocacy. Sincerely, Justin Anzalone, PA-C Chair, PA PAC Board of Trustees American Academy of Physician Assistants - 2318 Mill Road, Suite 1300 - Alexandria, VA 22314 | 703.836.2272 | Unsubscribe | Opt-Out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Looks like we all need to give so we can continue to push the PA profession forward and compete with the NPs. It would be money well spent. $25 is not that much money. Of course, you all could send PAFT $25 too and we would work with AAPA to get the changes needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted September 9, 2014 Administrator Share Posted September 9, 2014 Not interested until AAPA gets off its partisan issue advocacy bandwagon. They haven't earned back my trust that they won't misspend the money after past debacles. I get that the leadership changes from time to time, but we need to START with unequivocal statements repudiating certain past postions/photo opportunities as a fundamental violation of the AAPA's charter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z PA-C Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 Odd...I'm an AAPA member but didn't get an email. Thanks for posting. AAPA will get $25 but so will PAFT!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I will see if I can do this pragmatically and donate without rejoining . . . until they improve. I guess I could not. Seems like they would want anyone's money, member or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z PA-C Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I will see if I can do this pragmatically and donate without rejoining . . . until they improve. I guess I could not. Seems like they would want anyone's money, member or not. "Who can contribute to the PA PAC? Individual members of AAPA, as well as AAPA employees, may contribute to the PA PAC. Federal law prohibits the PAC from accepting donations from other sources." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I won't be able to contribute to AAPA then since I'm not a member. PAFT will get more of my money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWR Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I think that AAPA has shown "improvement" as to moving us forward. I was not a member for 2 years but rejoined this year after seeing movement in the correct direction. Like AAPA or not, the numbers are impressive for the NP support which may be why they get s**t done. Pretty shameful if you compare the dollars. I used to give $1000 a year back in the day but became disillusioned. I will try again starting low. Without support in DC we will not get anything. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I think it was Bob Blumm that was telling me he popped in an NP legislative update talk while lecturing at one of their conferences and the room was packed wall to wall. I hope we get there soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator True Anomaly Posted September 9, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 9, 2014 In regards to not wanting to give money to the AAPA.....my understanding is that money donated to a PAC cannot be used by the organization for general use. The PAC is separate and is used for legislative efforts only. But then again, if you have to be a member of AAPA to donate to the PAC anyway, then I guess you have a point? The fact remains though that legislative efforts take money. A PAC is the most centralized way to contribute money to the effort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted September 10, 2014 Administrator Share Posted September 10, 2014 In regards to not wanting to give money to the AAPA.....my understanding is that money donated to a PAC cannot be used by the organization for general use. The PAC is separate and is used for legislative efforts only. The issue I have is with the way previous political advocacy monies HAD been spent, not that it would be used for other-than-political efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted September 10, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 10, 2014 I signed up for $10/month Why do this when I think AAPA has been part of the problem with us getting left out, forgotten and generally under represented in DC? We are at a point in health care that will likely NEVER be repeated again (unless they come up with a single payer nationwide system) and the AAPA has started to come around. They use PA not ASSISTANT, they changed to collaboration..... and they in general are trying. It costs $$$ and a lot of it is to buy influence in DC - (BTW this system sucks IMHO) but it is what we have. If we could get changes to the federal regs that are hampering us it would be a huge boost to the profession - if we do not we might well loss primary care to the NP lobby (BTW IMHO they are not as good clinicians as PAs but the lobby is 100% better!). So - I signed up to give them $10/mo (on lunch a month) - $120/year - hoping that others will do the same, and that AAPA PAC will have the resources to get changed pushed through. I also am a member of PAFT and sent in extra $$ to them as well hoping they will hound AAPA into doing the right thing. I have realized that the only way we are going to get change is to the the AAPA PAC to push forward (PAFT can hound them) but then we as PAs need to fund them enough so that they can have resources to accomplish goals. Besides, in the realm of things -$200/year is not going to break me, but if even 20% of the PAs did this it would generate a 4 million dollar war chest for them to use..... I can afford $200..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 Hound them we will with our barks and bites and licks and slobber! Some of us on the board are labradors, spaniels, poodles, bear hounds, mutts, alpha she-dogs and none of us are sheeples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted September 11, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 11, 2014 Why doesn't PAFT start a PAC? Anybody can. anyone can even do super PAC. Steven Colbert did it on air. He'll even send you a kit so you can start one from home, seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted September 11, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 11, 2014 Hound them we will with our barks and bites and licks and slobber! Some of us on the board are labradors, spaniels, poodles, bear hounds, mutts, alpha she-dogs and none of us are sheeples. I think that PAs for tomorrow has done more to sway a AAPA in the last year than the previous 10 years of non-advocacy. Thank goodness for PAFT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted September 11, 2014 Administrator Share Posted September 11, 2014 It would be funny if PAFT started a similar PAC... and got more money donated! :-) PAFT board, I know you're listening... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 It would be funny if PAFT started a similar PAC... and got more money donated! :-) PAFT board, I know you're listening... Hmmmmm. An agenda item for our next meeting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted September 12, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 12, 2014 Put it there myself if I was still on the board. Alas life gets in the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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