As congressional approval ratings plummet to unprecedented lows (83% of Americans currently disapprove of the job Congress is doing in Washington1), it is understandable that the nation is skeptical that Congress has adjourned for its traditional August recess.
From August 2 until September 9, Congress will be out of session, and elected officials will return to their home districts and states. Amid images of members of Congress (MCs) relaxing on the beach and senators on the golf course, the term district work period2 may seem like a typically Washingtonian euphemism for “extended vacation.”
Although most working Americans would likely appreciate the opportunity to take off for the entire month of August, the reality is that even though Congress itself is in recess, MCs themselves are actually still working—but that work is based in their home districts and states, rather than in the halls of Congress.
MCs undoubtedly enjoy certain perks and benefits that accompany their status, but despite the widely held perception of a “do-nothing Congress,”3 elected officials actually work long hours. A recently released study from the Congressional Management Foundation found that elected officials worked, on average, 70 hours per week while in Washington.4 (Of course, just how productive these lawmakers are during those 70 hours, when measured in terms of legislation enacted, is an entirely different proposition.)
The same survey found that elected officials reported working a very respectable average of 59 hours per week during the district work period. Although it might not be as frenzied in August as at the height of the congressional session, it’s clear that most members spend their summers traveling around their states and districts, meeting constituents and learning about the issues that matter to the people who will ultimately decide whether they deserve the opportunity to return to Washington.
MCs also walk a tightrope in trying to balance the time spent in the nation’s capital with the time they spend in their home states and districts. If they spend too much time in Washington, they are perceived as out of touch with the voters who elected them in the first place. If they spend too much time away from Washington (and miss too many votes), their constituents perceive them as too focused on politics and the task of getting reelected and insufficiently focused on the job of legislating.
Thus, district work periods, held when Congress is in recess, are not simply a politically appropriate euphemism for an extended vacation. Rather, MCs fill their time back in the district or state by conducting tours of businesses, meeting with constituent groups, and interacting with local officials. As a result, the August recess presents an ideal opportunity for constituents to meet directly with their elected officials and help educate them about the issues that matter to the district, the state, and the nation as a whole. It could therefore be argued that the problem is not the work that MCs do when they are in recess, but what they do when Congress is in session.
Grassroots Advocacy During the August Recess
ACCP members should take advantage of the August district work period to engage with their MCs and help generate support for our Medicare Initiative to establish a comprehensive medication management (CMM) benefit under Part B of the Medicare program. The following numbered paragraphs list four things you can do to help this effort.
(1) Invite your lawmakers to tour your practice setting.
Hosting a visit of your elected officials to your practice is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to help lawmakers understand what team-based, patient-centered clinical practice is all about—and to generate their support for recognition and payment for clinical pharmacists’ services.
A visit also serves as a means to establish an ongoing constructive dialogue with your congressman or senator, and their staff, on issues important to the delivery of team-based, patient-centered care.
A comprehensive guide to inviting an MC to tour your practice site is available on our Legislative Action Center. If you would like to discuss the process of hosting a lawmaker at your practice site, please contact John McGlew at (202) 621-1820 or [email protected].
All ACCP members are urged to consider inviting their elected officials to learn more about their practice through a tour of their practice site.
(2) Schedule meetings with your MCs or their staff.
Between the ongoing debate about the Affordable Care Act and Medicare physician payment reform, health care remains a priority in the 113th Congress. The August recess presents an ideal opportunity to schedule meetings with your elected officials to discuss your practice, your patients, and the importance of establishing a Medicare CMM benefit. Click here to enter your zip code and obtain contact information for your elected officials.
(3) Find and attend a town hall meeting.
To find out when and where these meetings are being held, check your members’ Web sites, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and local newspapers, or call their offices directly. Some town hall meetings are held online or by conference calls. These town hall meetings provide an excellent forum to address the issue of health care delivery reform and the future of the Medicare program. Clinical pharmacists should take advantage of this opportunity to discuss ACCP’s Medicare Initiative.
(4) Send a letter to your lawmakers.
We have prepared a letter to Congress describing our Medicare Initiative that you can review and edit. You can send this letter in just a few easy clicks, but for maximum impact, we encourage you to personalize the letter by sharing some additional information about your clinical practice and the patients you care for.
Simply click here to visit our Legislative Action Center and follow the instructions to send your message to your representative and senators.
Medicare Initiative Advocacy Resources
ACCP has released two important resources related to our Medicare Initiative. Take the time to familiarize yourself with these documents to guide your communications with Congress related to the initiative and help ensure we deliver a consistent and coherent message around how CMM helps “get the medications right” and why Congress should enact legislation to achieve this.
Click here to access the Medicare Initiative Congressional Issue Brief.
Click here to access the Medicare Initiative Data Document.
For more information on our advocacy effort in general, visit our Medicare Coverage Initiative Web page for up-to-date resources and details on how you can get more involved, or contact ACCP’s Associate Director, Government Affairs at [email protected] or (202) 621-1820. Thank you for your participation in this important advocacy effort!
Your Contribution to ACCP-PAC Can Help Advance Our Medicare Coverage Initiative
ACCP-PAC is the only political action committee dedicated to electing MCs who are committed to advancing our Medicare Initiative. Contributions from ACCP-PAC to MCs will raise our profile on Capitol Hill, improve our standing among key lawmakers, and provide unique opportunities to discuss our initiative with potential congressional champions. Our PAC will also help ensure that elected officials who support our initiative remain in office to advance the goals of the proposal in the future.
Only ACCP members are eligible to contribute to the PAC and allow us to make these vital political contributions. With more than 14,000 ACCP members, ACCP is in a position to become one of the most prominent pharmacy PACs in Washington. To do this, we need the widespread support of our membership.
If each ACCP member were to contribute just $25, ACCP-PAC would raise $350,000. All ACCP members should consider donating at least $25 to ACCP-PAC. CLICK HERE to support your PAC today!
Contact us! For more information on any of ACCP’s advocacy efforts, please contact:
John K. McGlew
Associate Director, Government Affairs
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004-1017
(202) 621-1820
[email protected]
1Real Clear Politics polling report. Congressional Job Approval. Available here. Accessed August 14, 2013.
2House of Representatives (Legislative) Schedule. Available here. Accessed August 14, 2013.
3Washington Post article. Judging the (un)productivity of the 113th Congress. Available here. Accessed August 14, 2013.
4Congressional Management Foundation report. Life in Congress: the member perspective. Available here. Accessed August 14, 2013.