This short session will cap out at 35 days; the State Legislature may not work any later than March 8. Because the session is only five weeks long, the number of bills that could be proposed was limited. The number of policies within each of those bills, however, is nearly endless. That is how OANP found itself as part of Rep. Rob Nosse’s healthcare “omnibus” bill. HB 4040 began with hundreds of stakeholders putting forward their ideas and was quickly whittled down to about 20 concepts. The criteria for inclusion in the bill hinged largely on whether the proposals would cost the state money. As analysis was conducted section by section over the first few weeks of the session, policy proposals were removed.

OANP elected to put forward four concepts for this bill, three of which made the initial cut. The policy item that would not have cost money—but was expected to be extremely partisan—was a provision removing disciplinary mandates for an ND who wanted to prescribe pharmacological abortifacients.

We also requested direct prescribing authority for DME, diabetic shoes, and home health services. The CCOs determined this would cost the Medicaid system money; OHA indicated it would also cost the state. As a result, Chair Nosse, with regret, removed that portion of the bill.

Another proposal we asked to include was intended to drive collaborative agreements between hospitals and NDs. Ensuring a streamlined admission to the hospital is important for saving time and money for the system—and, most importantly, for the patient. An added benefit is that such agreements often trigger commercial insurance carriers to include an ND in their networks. This is an added benefit for all patients who choose an ND. Unfortunately, this provision was opposed by hospitals and eventually by insurers, who did not want to be mandated to enter into agreements. This portion, with additional disappointment, was also deleted from the bill.

The fourth puzzle piece for OANP was a licensing board priority: lowering the retirement age for practitioners. With the passage of HB 4040, practitioners will be able to transition to a retirement license at age 65 instead of 70.

This was a tough session overall. Many of the “big rocks” are still in play as we are only hours away from going home. Only the next few days will reveal how many of those policies will be touted during the election cycle.

Stay tuned!

What should I do now?

• Confirm billing and collection vendors comply with SB 605

• Review financial consent and payment policies

• Please speak with an attorney if you have any legal questions about compliance with this new law or its implementation 

For additional information, please contact legislative@oanp.org.

Learn more at https://www.compounding.com/thyroid

The focus of our efforts was clear: NDs deserve fair compensation from insurance companies for the valuable care they provide. It’s time for Oregon to ensure that Naturopathic Doctors are treated equitably, both in terms of compensation and recognition. The advocacy for insurance pay parity continues to be a core part of OANP’s mission, and we are more committed than ever to pushing this issue across the finish line.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our incredible lobbyist, Niki Terzieff, for her leadership in organizing critical meetings and providing invaluable training to our members. Additionally, we are deeply grateful to the Legislative Advocacy Committee for their unwavering dedication and support. Their efforts were essential in making sure our voices were heard loud and clear at the state capitol.

In-person meetings are one of the most powerful ways to engage with the legislative process, and we are proud of how many OANP members showed up and stood up for this cause. Your continued commitment to this fight is driving real change, and it will have a lasting impact on the future of Naturopathic Medicine in Oregon.

Thanks to everyone involved in making this day happen. Learn more about OANP's legislative efforts here, or donate to our PAC Fund to support the cause!

The focus of our efforts was clear: NDs deserve fair compensation from insurance companies for the valuable care they provide. It’s time for Oregon to ensure that Naturopathic Doctors are treated equitably, both in terms of compensation and recognition. The advocacy for insurance pay parity continues to be a core part of OANP’s mission, and we are more committed than ever to pushing this issue across the finish line.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our incredible lobbyist, Niki Terzieff, for her leadership in organizing critical meetings and providing invaluable training to our members. Additionally, we are deeply grateful to the Legislative Advocacy Committee for their unwavering dedication and support. Their efforts were essential in making sure our voices were heard loud and clear at the state capitol.

In-person meetings are one of the most powerful ways to engage with the legislative process, and we are proud of how many OANP members showed up and stood up for this cause. Your continued commitment to this fight is driving real change, and it will have a lasting impact on the future of Naturopathic Medicine in Oregon.

If you haven’t already joined OANP, now is the time to become a member and add momentum to our legislative movement. Together, we can ensure that Naturopathic Doctors in Oregon are valued and supported, and that all Oregonians have access to the care they need.

HB3439A requires commercial insurers to pay NDs the same as they pay all the other provider types for the same service provided. This ensures the sustainability of small ND businesses, improves patient choice in healthcare, and bolsters the primary care workforce.

Please click here to easily send a pre-written letter to the committee members. Every voice matters in this fight!

Join us at our next Legislative Advocacy Matters session on Thursday, May 8, from 12pm to 1pm, where we’ll discuss legislative updates and advocacy strategies. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in getting more involved in advocacy efforts to learn how they can make a difference. Help us keep the momentum going! Sign up and find more information about this meeting here.

As we approach our much-anticipated Lobby Day on May 14th in Salem, we’re excited to announce that our group will be over 20 strong! Thank you to everyone who RSVP'd and plans to join us to make a powerful case for the critical importance of pay parity for NDs in Oregon. We need your voice to be heard in the legislative process! 

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the future of naturopathic medicine in Oregon.

Sincere thanks for your time and effort,
The OANP Legislative & Advocacy Committee

Rebecca Principe ND, Chair
Eliot Edwards ND
Carrie Baldwin-Sayre ND
Gibran Ramos ND
Terry Manning ND
Aubrey Harding ND
Jade Deitrick, Staff

The second 2024 OANP Advocacy Matters Workshop will deliver education and real-time advocacy action on Thursday, August 15th from 12 pm to 1 pm on Zoom. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

This quarterly event is designed to build on what we learned at the previous workshop, but you absolutely can come even if you missed the last one! This time we will be jumping in with more hands-on action so if you want some background on the bill or the legislative process in general, please be sure to watch the recording of the last training session, which you can find here.

This is what you can expect this time…
We will dive right in, where we left off, and craft an email to your state legislators. As the clock was ticking we made it to the fun part: direct action. If you have misplaced the digital packet from the last time, we will send it out again. We’ll also be sending out a very brief slide-deck that we are going to utilize for setting up a successful 1:1 conversation. Whether you choose to do it via zoom - or the most effective way, in person - you will leave the August Advocacy Matters discussion ready to share your story and advocate for our collective success.

The ultimate goal for this advocacy series is for your legislators to call on YOU upon considering a policy proposal that would impact your ability to serve patients and run your business. Like it or not, the government is your business partner, so we must ensure that they are educated and contributing partners. This necessitates us to get active!

We are intentionally not limiting the number of attendees - members and nonmembers are invited to participate in this series. Please bring your staff and your clinic colleagues and come ready to kick off this effort. 
 
Also, save the dates for the final session on November 21st. Stay tuned for the advocacy meeting schedule for 2025. 

This will be recorded for those who cannot make it, but please come live if you can, as it will be interactive.

• HB 4102 is an Oregon Medical Association (OMA) effort that OANP has been participating with them on, including providing our endorsement.  The bill puts limits and requirements on health insurers in the area of prior authorizations and in step therapy.  Step therapy is the treatments you must have prescribed before an insurer will cover an expensive medication. A familiar example from diabetes is the patient often has to "fail" metformin and at least one other drug in combination before they will authorize an extremely expensive  GLP-2 agonist.  If a patient has "proved" their way to that prescription, they can expect coverage to continue as long as they continue to have the same insurance plan. Currently if the patient changes insurers or plan, the insurance commonly requires the patient to start over - prove yet again that metformin and another medication "fail" for this patient.  It’s a complicated bill, and a project to understand it in detail.  OANP and a coalition of other organizations have joined together with OMA on this issue for the benefit of our patients.
• SB 1561 is a hemp bill that has language adding NDs to those who can prescribe medical marijuana.  The OANP legislative committee is watching the bill to see what the outcome will be. In the current context it benefits patients who desire access to less expensive material produced by others.  OBNM has no prohibition on NDs counseling patients in its medical use, that is our status quo.  In discussion it has been mentioned that question of medical marijuana prescribing by NDs doesn't get interesting again until it is legal at the federal level, and the move is to allow NDs to dispense various formulations from their office aimed at indications like sleep and pain management.  Otherwise people have more than adequate access.

Looking Ahead:

In keeping with our mission, the OANP legislative committee is to protect and promote the success of all naturopathic physicians in Oregon. 

OANPs is already working on laying the groundwork for our legislative priority in 2021, where we continue our efforts for health insurance pay parity. This will continue to be our top priority based on the long-term association strategic plan until we have achieved that law and it is being enforced by the state of Oregon.  In the time between now and the 2021 session we are working to build connections to allies among other provider groups with great success. Seeking to be engaged with the non-elected state government advocating for both the role of NDs and the greater good of the state through participation in the many committees that are ongoing and formed for special issues. We are also working hard to meet with every legislator, and develop positive relationships with everyone at the State Capitol.

Behind the scenes OANP continues to work on health insurance credentialing issues to remove barriers between NDs and the patients that desire their care under Medicaid and in private insurance. We will continue to keep OANP members apprised on this issue, as we realize how many patients are being impacted. The legislative committee has been working hard on a strategic list of hurdles we will overcome, and we are always open to hearing your thoughts.

As mentioned at our 2018 annual member meeting, we can never let our guard down in the area of protecting our licenses and scope of practice.  Over the years OANP has had to defend the right of the profession to exist at all.  Jim Massey, Joel Wallach and other NDs famously drove to Salem to defend against the removal of all ND licenses under a sunset law.  A more recent attempt some years back was to abolish OBNM and have NDs no longer licensed, but required to register alongside tattoo artists. The currently unlicensed states include states that used to license NDs but they lost their ND licensing law through hostile legislative efforts. The work to defend the profession is never done! We could always use your support.


If you are interested in getting involved in legislative advocacy, we could always use your help!

• Join our private Facebook group, if you are a current member here.
  
• "Like" the OANP Facebook page here.
• Become a member or renew your membership here.
• Update your address so that we know which NDs we have in what districts.
• Join our legislative Key Contacts Task Force! This group meets annually with legislators, and are our first contacts when we need to activate grassroots efforts. Email beth@oanp.org to learn more.
• Donate to the PAC! We use this fund to grease the wheels with our legislators. Click here to donate.
• Get involved! Volunteer on a committee or a task force, email beth@oanp.org

• We had a record number of DC FLI attendees this year at 193!
• Attendees met with staff members of 58 Senators and 105 House Representatives resulting in 701 total meetings (380 in Senate and 321 in House + one meeting with the pertinent Senate Health, Labor & Pensions Committee!
• We doubled the representation of the new Integrative Health and Wellness Caucus on our day on the Hill and set the Caucus up for growth as more than 30 Reps and several Senators want more information to join!
• 1 meeting resulted in a letter of inclusion extended from an office regarding participation in invite-only discussions by leading healthcare officials on solutions to opioid misuse and abuse!
  
  https://www.naturopathic.org/dcfli2018