Advocacy and Grassroots Making Your Voice Heard!

Objectives Define grassroots and advocacy Advocacy tools Special interest groups AMCP’s tools to make your voice heard Your role

What Is Advocacy? Organizing individuals and coalitions to inform and hopefully influence legislators and regulators by providing research, data and information about a particular issue.

Why do I care? Public Policy Impacts the Profession Drug standards Safety standards Professional scope of practice Structure of health care delivery

Tools Used in Advocacy Lobbyists PACs Research and Polling Public Relations Grassroots

Special Interest Groups – Evil or Us?

Who are these Special Interest Groups? More than 1.3 million associations in the U.S.* American Heart Association National Association of Realtors American Dental Assn. Motion Picture Assn. of America American Concrete Pavement Assn. Specialty Wiring Assn. Energy Bar Assn. *American Society of Association Executives, March 29, 2012

And Pharmacy Groups? American Assn. of Colleges of Pharmacy American Assn. of Pharmaceutical Scientists American Pharmaceutical Association American Society of Consultant Pharmacists American Society of Health System Pharmacists Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties National Association of Boards of Pharmacy National Association of Chain Drug Stores National Community Pharmacists Association

Advocacy Activity Number of Organizations Advocating on Health Issues in Congress, * * accessed March 29, 2012

Top PAC Spending for * National Assn. of Realtors$3,804,455 National Beer Wholesalers Assn.$3,017,000 National Auto Dealers Assn.$2,795,350 Honeywell International$2,705,373 Lockheed Martin$2,632,750 American Bankers Assn.$2,533,875 AT&T, Inc.$2,504,250 Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $2,467,214 Credit Union Nat’l Assn.$2,381,500 Operating Engineers Union$2,361,742 accessed January 30, 2015

Research and Polling Advocacy Polling – assists organizations in marshalling the power of public opinion to achieve their objectives. Advocacy Research – assists organizations in providing academic support for certain positions

Public Relations Paid Media – Effectively delivers your message when you want it – with a pre- determined level of intensity Earned Media – Greater credibility since it’s delivered and received through the filter of a credible third-party organization such as a newspaper, TV or radio station

Grassroots Effective organizations mobilize their members, employees and coalition partners to advocate for or against an issue.

AMCP and Grassroots Advocacy Advocacy is a central tenant Leadership Structure Legislative and Regulatory Action Committee (LRAC) Public Policy Committee State Advocacy Coordinators Government Relations Staff

AMCP Affiliates Regional opportunities for AMCP members

State Leaders State Advocacy Coordinators AMCP state leaders in 36 states Recruitment Leadership Communication Legislative monitoring

AMCP Tools for Advocacy Online Advocacy Center State bill tracker Issue toolkits Legislative/Regulatory Briefing (monthly) State Advocacy Coordinators AMCP Government Affairs Staff

Advocacy Center – amcp.org

Legislative Tracking Take the guesswork out of bill tracking! Legislative Tracking All the Bills AMCP is Tracking Priority bills Bills to monitor Full bill text and current status

Issue Toolkits Research and background on major public policy issues Topics Include: Carve-out exemptions Specialty Tiers Oral Chemo Parity Pharmacy Audits Uniform Prior Authorization Mandated Coverage Medicaid Managed Care

Action Alerts Best way to contact your elected officials when there’s an important issue 1.AMCP sends you an 2.Click “take action” 3.Fill out name and zip code 4.Click Send Your voice is heard!

Newsletter Legislative & Regulatory Briefing Electronic All member Monthly

Why Should I get Involved?

Why Should I Get Involved? State Legislatures 6x more productive than Congress 352 Bills & Resolutions 45,564 Bills & Resolutions Congress: States:

Social Media State and federal Sign up for their newsletter on their website Watch their speeches on YouTube Follow your elected officials

VOTE Register to vote Don’t skip election day Be heard & Participate

Voters have Influence Young adults 60,009,000 citizens aged ,016,000 voted (46.4%) Source: U.S. Census Bureau; Reported Voting and Registration of the Total Voting-Age Population, by Age, for States: November 2008

Campus Events Organize a legislative policy seminar or a day of events Two or three 60 minute panel sessions on specific public policy topics A speaker on how to be effective in the political process Register to vote sign-up table AMCP staff can help discuss panel topics and event organization ideas Contact Sarah Vizcaino and Dana Whitley

Washington, D.C. If you’re in Washington, D.C., let AMCP know. Minimum two week notice Individuals or groups up to 5 AMCP Staff will Arrange meetings on Capitol Hill Prepare you on what to discuss Accompany you on meetings Contact Lauren Fuller

Can You Make a Difference?

QUESTIONS