A note from the MSS chair
September 2024
From MSS Chair Anand Singh
Howdy! Over the past month, there have been lots of exciting developments. Initial rough drafts of resolutions for the I-24 MSS policy cycle were submitted, we held our first all standing committee leaders meeting and MSS Engagement Meeting, and so much more!
We have many exciting events happening in September including our Advocacy in Action Workshop, final drafts of resolutions are due Sept. 15, and so much more as we prepare for the upcoming interim meeting.
Upcoming events
Advocacy in Action Workshop: Sept. 30-Oct. 2
Webinar: Sept. 30, 2024, 7 p.m. Central - Register now
Webinar: Oct. 1, 2024, 7 p.m. Central - Register now
Students will hear from expert speaker panels, participate in advocacy skills workshops, learn about health care issues and how they can actively advocate for patients, providers and communities.
Visit the Advocacy in Action Workshop event page for more information.
Orientation meetings
Region fall orientation meetings for new members are scheduled at various times. Please contact your region leaders for date, time and Zoom link.
Standing committee spotlight: Committee on Legislation and Advocacy (COLA)
COLA has been working on a couple of exciting projects alongside their work on the I-24 policy cycle. In Advocacy & Education (A&E), led by Amanda Kahn, projects on voter engagement and programming focused on op-ed writing have been taking off. Under Legislation, led by Rusty Hawes, their members are helping to draft policy briefs for Advocacy in Action Week and working on increasing medical student engagement with grassroots advocacy including federal regulatory commenting.
Under Policy Development and Education (PDE), led by Hailey Greenstone, open forum reviews and a joint report with the Committee on Economics & Quality in Medicine (CEQM) have been going well, and members will be working on educating themselves and the broader MSS on what AMA advocacy looks like.
Advocacy updates
AMA advocacy staff in Washington, D.C. have been working to promote key priorities amid a challenging year, including a lame duck Congress and election season. Recent efforts include:
- Medical debt and credit scores: The AMA submitted comments (PDF) to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), supporting their proposal to exclude medical debt from credit scores. They urged further action to include debt from medical credit cards and to exempt medical debt from employment and housing credit screenings.
- Biosimilar interchangeability: The AMA provided comments (PDF) in support of FDA draft guidance to remove the “interchangeability statement” from biosimilar product labels.
Contact us
Interested in getting more involved? Join the MSS Updates GroupMe to keep up with opportunities and email us with questions at [email protected].
