Transcript Hospital Advocacy 101

Hospital Advocacy 101
How to Be Heard by Lawmakers
Guiding Thoughts…
“More things in politics happen by accident or
exhaustion than happen by conspiracy.”
~Jeff Greenfield, Journalist
“A well-informed constituent with a specific request is
the most effective lobbyist alive.”
~Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1977-1987
“Anyone who thinks they are too small to make a
difference has never tried to fall asleep with a
mosquito in the room.”
~Christie Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey, 1994-2004
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Why Does Advocacy Matter?
• At the local, state, and national levels, health care is
one of the most regulated fields in the nation.
• More than 60% of hospitals’ patients are covered by
a government health plan (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.).
• To make decisions, lawmakers rely on constituent
input…especially from constituents they know well
and trust.
• Health care policy is complex. Hospital advocates can
provide much-needed clarity, perspective, and
wisdom.
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How to Be Heard Over the Noise
1-Build a
Relationship
2-Know the
Facts
6-Follow Up
Hospital Advocacy is an Ongoing Cycle!
3-Time Your
Request Well
5-Present a
United Front
4-Get to the
Point
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How to: Build a Relationship with
Your Lawmakers
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Introduce yourself as a constituent at an event.
Request a meeting at your lawmaker’s office.
Talk about your hospital and your role within it.
Invite your lawmaker to visit your hospital.
Follow up (thank-you notes, invites, infographics,
news clips on health care issues, etc.).
• Stay in periodic contact. Send helpful information;
don’t make every outreach an “ask.”
• Get to know the legislator’s staff.
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Common Legislative Staff Titles
• Chief of Staff: Supervises other staff; serves as political advisor.
• District Director: Manages the lawmaker’s district office(s).
• Legislative Director: Coordinates lawmaker’s legislation and committee
work; serves as policy advisor to lawmaker and chief of staff.
• Communications Director: Manages lawmaker’s relationship with the
media & public; writes speeches, press releases, social media postings.
• Legislative Aide: Researches policy issues, develops legislation, works
with bill supporters. Often covers one or more broad issue categories.
• Legislative Correspondent or Administrative Assistant: Logs and responds
to correspondence on legislation and public policy issues.
• Scheduler: Manages lawmaker’s time, meeting requests, etc.
• Caseworker or Constituent Worker: Answers questions and resolves
problems on behalf of constituents; often works with agencies to do so.
• Intern or Fellow: Temporary worker who assists the above staffers.
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How to: Know the Facts
• Know Yourself. Prepare a factsheet about your hospital and
your role within it.
• Know the Lawmaker. Learn the lawmaker’s bio, committees,
political beliefs, etc. to know which arguments will persuade.
• Know the Issue. Get the latest comprehensive summary of
the bill or issue in question; define the problem and the
solution; be ready to explain why the lawmaker should act.
• Know Who’s For It and Against It. Be ready to explain why
your position is the best for public policy.
• Know What You’re Asking For. Make the ask as
straightforward as possible, something that’s within the
lawmaker’s power, and know whether they already support it.
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Key Facts About Ohio Hospitals
• [Your hospital/system name] employs
[number] people, and pays [amount] in
annual payroll taxes.
• Hospitals across the state employ more than
282,000 people.
• Hospitals are a major employer in 78 of Ohio’s
88 counties.
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A Major Employer in Most Ohio Counties
Hospitals are among the
top employers in 78 of 88
Ohio counties….
Hospital among county’s top employers
Non-hospital health care organization
among county’s top employers
Health care not among county’s top
employers
Map created in Microsoft MapPoint North America 2006 using Ohio County Profiles data from Ohio Department of Development:
http://www.development.ohio.gov/research/files/s0.htm
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Key Facts About Ohio Hospitals
• [Your hospital/system name] provides
[amount in costs] of care each year for which
we receive no payment.
• Hospitals across Ohio provide more than $4.5
billion of care each year for which they
receive no payment.
• Ohio hospitals contribute more than $80
billion to Ohio’s economy, the 6th largest
economic impact across hospitals in all states.
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Key Facts About Ohio Hospitals
• [Your hospital/system name] has reduced
operational costs by [amount in costs] since
[date].
• Since [date], [your hospital/system name] has
reduced [category of infection, injury, or
readmissions] by [amount in lives or cases].
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Where to Learn More on the Issues
Ohio Hospital Association
• http://ohiohospitals.org/PolicyAdvocacy/Advocacy-Network.aspx
American Hospital Association
• http://www.aha.org/hospitalmembers/advocacy-issues/action/index.shtml
Ohio Legislative Service Commission
• http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/
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How to: Time Your Request Well
• Lawmakers pay closest attention to issues that
are in the headlines, or are scheduled for
action soon (committee hearing, vote, etc.).
• Most legislators correspond by phone and
email. Respond promptly to their inquiries
and be mindful of holidays, recesses, etc.
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More on Timing
• Mondays and Fridays often are devoted to travel or work
in the legislator’s district, and are a good time to
schedule hospital or district office visits.
• For both Congress and the Ohio General Assembly,
lawmakers generally are not in session in July or August.
• Lawmakers generally are not in session during election
season (late September through early October of evennumbered years).
• A “Lame Duck” session, often held November through
early December of election years, can bring intense,
unpredictable legislative activity as lawmakers struggle to
meet year-end deadlines.
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How to: Get to the Point
1. Keep it simple.
Briefly boil down the issue in layman’s terms. Then
talk about its direct impact on your health care
facility and your community.
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How to: Get to the Point
2. Stay on message.
Focus on the issue. While the discussion should flow
naturally and comfortably, don’t let the
conversation wander too far from the matter at
hand.
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How to: Get to the Point
3. Use anecdotes.
Emphasize your point with stories about real people
who have been (or will be) affected by the
lawmaker’s policy decisions.
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How to: Get to the Point
4. Bring effective props.
Always bring something to give the lawmaker. It can
be a recent hospital press release, an infographic,
a fact sheet…but keep it brief and cogent (1 page
is perfect). Include your contact info for followup.
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How to: Get to the Point
5. Ask for something specific.
Once you’ve laid out the issues and proposed
solutions/action, make sure the policymaker
knows exactly what you want him or her to do –
whether it’s supporting a particular bill, fighting
for an amendment, or persuading other
policymakers to get on board.
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How to: Present a United Front
• Ohio hospitals’ best chance to improve public
policy comes when they are united in
common cause.
• When hospitals are divided, or inconsistent in
our advocacy messages, lawmakers stop
listening to us.
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“The way a team plays as a whole
determines its success. You may have the
greatest bunch of individual stars in the
world, but if they don't play together, the
club won't be worth a dime.”
~Babe Ruth
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Current Advocacy Message for State
Lawmakers
Maintain Medicaid Eligibility!
• Under Gov. Kasich’s leadership, Ohio expanded
Medicaid eligibility in 2013 to citizens earning less
than 138% of the Federal Poverty Level.
• This has enabled more than 400,000 uninsured
Ohioans to get health care coverage.
• Unless the General Assembly reauthorizes the
program in 2015, those 400,000 Ohioans will
become uninsured.
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Current Advocacy Message for State
Lawmakers
Maintain Medicaid Eligibility! (continued)
• The federal dollars to pay for expansion came from
cutting reimbursement for hospital care.
• Those federal cuts to hospitals will continue whether
or not Ohio maintains current Medicaid eligibility.
• Ohioans should continue to benefit from what
hospitals already have paid for; urge your state
lawmakers to maintain current Medicaid eligibility.
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Current Messages for Federal
Lawmakers
Share with the lawmaker:
• What your hospital is doing to reduce costs, improve
quality, and provide jobs.
• The challenges your hospital faces from proposed or
existing federal policies (Medicare, etc.)
• A specific ask of support. More information on
current AHA calls to action:
http://www.aha.org/hospital-members/advocacyissues/action/index.shtml
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How to: Follow Up
• Within a day of a meeting, visit, or discussion
with a lawmaker, send a personal thank-you
by mail or email.
• Be sure to thank the appropriate staffers, too.
• Briefly recap the discussion, your key points,
and the ask.
• Periodically check back with the lawmaker or
staff until the issue is resolved.
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Political Action Committee
Friends of Ohio Hospitals PAC supports those
candidates who understand hospitals’ challenges and
can help us fulfill our mission of providing care to our
communities.
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How to Reach OHA’s Advocacy
Team
• http://ohiohospitals.org/Policy-Advocacy.aspx
• To share feedback from meetings with your
legislators with OHA:
– Call us at 614-221-7614
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Questions and Discussion
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