Advocacy

Highlights from the 10th Annual Advocacy Summit

Check out Arthritis Advocates in action , Senator Kennedy's Advocacy Leadership Award acceptance speech and other highlights from the Advocacy Summit.

Michigan family visits their Members of Congress. The Brian daughters, ages 12 and 9, "just want to find a cure." Watch them tell their story.

IL high school senior attends Advocacy Summit for sixth time because "somebody has to have a voice." Kristen Hartman has juvenile arthritis and has missed 25 days of school simply because she could not get out of bed. She is proof that arthritis isn't an old person's disease and the passage of the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act will benefit 46 million Americans, 300,000 children.

Govt. Study Finds Combination Treatment Better for RA:

Underscores Need for Access to Care

The Arthritis Foundation commends the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for informing the public that combining synthetic drugs with a biologic is more effective than using either treatment alone. The Arthritis Foundation believes these combinations should be available to all patients whose doctors recommend them. We will use these significant findings to communicate with the nation’s insurance companies and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services the message that access to combination therapy is essential for the health of people with rheumatoid arthritis. Barriers that exist in the insurance marketplace, including the lack of insurance coverage for all Americans, must be addressed by the nation’s policymakers to ensure that the more than two million people battling this serious chronic disease have access to these critical medications, which have been proven to prevent the disabling and permanent joint damage that can occur due to rheumatoid arthritis. More on the study.

Arthritis Foundation's Position on America's Uninsured

On September 6, 2007, Jack Klippel, MD, Arthritis Foundation President and CEO, joined 47 other voluntary health agencies in alerting all Presidential candidates about the need to address, with specific policy proposals, the basic health care needs of the more than 50 million Americans without health coverage, especially those with chronic diseases such as arthritis. This year, the Cover the Uninsured coalition supporters have focused on the pressing need to get America's children covered through the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). View the statement of supporters.

Shortage of Pediatric Rheumatologists

A new Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) report reveals a severe shortage of pediatric rheumatologists in the U.S. and calls for a 75 percent increase in the number of pediatric rheumatologists. Many of the recommended solutions to address the shortage In the report are already contained in the Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act. Write your Senator and Representative today and ask them to support the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act.

Arthritis Prevention, Control & Cure Act Going Strong

Since its introduction to the 110th Congress, the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act has been steadily gaining momentum. Your opinion is important and matters to your Members of Congress. Please take a moment out of your busy schedule to help your Senators and U.S. Representatives understand how arthritis affects you in your daily life and ask them to cosponsor the Arthritis Prevention, Control & Cure Act if they haven't already. Let them know how this legislation will improve the lives of the 46 millions of Americans living with arthritis. Take action -- send your personal story!

Advocacy Spotlight

Lynn Sanders is a volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation and started her own foundation called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Network C.A.R.E.S. INC, where she also volunteers her time as one of the Board members. Lynn has been very active in helping to educate her Members of Congress about arthritis and EDS and the affect it has on her life. Read Lynn's story.

Covering Kids and Families Back-to-School Campaign

Let's make sure that no child is left behind or uninsured this school year. The Covering Kids and Families Back-to-School Campaign takes place every August and September to let parents know that low-cost or free health care coverage is available for their children. There are programs available in every state and the District of Columbia. Find out if you are eligible or help get the word out.

News from the States:

Ohio: A delegation of volunteers and staff from the Northeastern Ohio Chapter visit Congressman Tim Ryan (D-17) to thank him for his support of the Arthritis Prevention Control and Cure Act.

Pennsylvania: Representative Joe Sestak (D-7) signs on as a sponsor of the Arthritis Act after Philadelphia TV station MYPHL 17 aired a 30-minute show, In Focus, devoted to arthritis..