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Coalition Letters and Legislation

Prevent Blindness proudly stands alongside our colleagues across the health spectrum to promote policies that improve our national health and well-being. Many groups have mutual policy goals in areas that often overlap with vision and eye health; for example, ensuring patients can access safe and effective drugs, increasing the budget on federal public health and medical research programs, or improving the health of our nation’s seniors through strong community networks. In advocacy, there is strength in numbers, and our strong coalition partnerships help us achieve policy goals that would be too difficult to take on as a singular effort. For more information on issues which Prevent Blindness leads, please visit our Advocacy Initiatives page.

November 17: Children’s Budget Coalition urges Congress to prioritize programs that improve child health and well-being in year-end package

November 16: Prevent Blindness joins 160 organizations urging Congress to pass the PASTEUR Act

October 13: Prevent Blindness joins 134 leading child health organizations to support a National Emergency Declaration on children’s mental health

October 4: American Heart Association Legacy IRA Coalition urges Congressional action to increase charitable giving

October 3: National Patient Advocacy Group Comment Letter on HHS Proposed Rulemaking for ACA Section 1557 “Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities”

September 15: Children’s Budget Coalition Letter to HHS Secretary urging creation of a Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council

September 13: Patient groups urge Congress to find a permanent solution to telehealth policies beyond COVID-19 pandemic

September 6: Patient and Provider Advocates for Telehealth Letter on proposed telehealth policies in CY2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

June 1: Step Therapy Coalition Letter to HHS Secretary Becerra urging reversal of step therapy policies on Part B drugs in MA plans

May 19: Prevent Blindness supports $30 million for Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program

May 10: Children’s Budget Coalition Letter urging Presidential Proclamation of annual Children’s Week

April 28: Prevent Blindness supports funding for CDC data modernization efforts

April 6: Friends of HRSA urges $9.8 million funding level for HRSA in FY2023

April 6: Friends of Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Program urges $1 billion for MCHB-HRSA

April 1: Leading chronic disease advocacy organizations urge $3.75 billion for CDC’s Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

April 1: CDC Coalition urges $11 billion for CDC in FY2023

March 5: Prevent Blindness and 181 organizations join American Council of the Blind letter urging DOJ to act on digital accessibility regulations

January 31: Patient organizations issue recommendations to House E&C Committee Republican Task Force on Healthy Futures and Security

September 2: ITEM Coalition, including Prevent Blindness, urges Congress to expand Medicare to include low vision aids and assistive devices

April 26: Prevent Blindness supports Biden Administration FY2022 budget request to address social determinants of health

April 22: Prevent Blindness joins letter to HHS Secretary Becerra urging rescinding of step therapy for Part B drugs in Medicare Advantage

April 5: Prevent Blindness supports funding for CDC’s REACH program in FY2022

March 29: Friends of NCHS coalition support letter for $200 million to CDC’s National Centers for Health Statistics in FY2022

March 24: Friends of Title V coalition supports $750 million to Maternal and Child Health programs at HRSA

March 18: Prevent Blindness endorses H.R. 1025, the Kids Access to Primary Care Act

March 16: American Heart Association support letter requesting $3.75 billion in FY2022 to CDC’s chronic disease prevention and health promotion

March 12: National Council on Aging requests $10 million for falls prevention and $4 million for falls prevention research

March 8: Friends of HRSA requests $9.2 billion for HRSA in FY2022

March 5: Prevent Blindness endorses the Child Poverty Reduction Act

March 4: Prevent Blindness endorses legislation to restore Prevention and Public Health Fund

March 2: Prevent Blindness endorses efforts to fund Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program

March 1: CDC Coalition requests $10 billion to CDC in FY2022 appropriations

April 5: Prevent Blindness supports funding for CDC’s REACH program in FY2022

January 26: Prevent Blindness endorses Children’s Budget Coalition “1% for Kids” recommendation

January 25: Patient and provider groups urge Medicaid Section 1115 waivers to be rescinded

December 30: Coalition urges CMS to cover low vision devices and assistive technology

December 7: Children’s Budget Coalition urges COVID-19 relief legislation to consider missed child health screenings, including vision

December 4: Prevent Blindness endorses legislation to improve access to maternal health

November 18: Prevent Blindness joins 350 organizations endorsing establishment of a White House Office on Children and Youth

August 11: Prevent Blindness joins letter urging comprehensive health coverage in COVID-19 response legislation

July 22: National Head Start letter urges Congress to direct $1.7 billion to Head Start to ensure children receive basic care during COVID-19 pandemic

July 21: Prevent Blindness joins ASP Coalition letter to HHS Secretary Azar to remove step therapy and prior authorization policies on Part B drugs in Medicare Advantage

July 16: 89 organizations advocate for H.R. 6561, the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act to be included in COVID-19 legislation

July 2: Prevent Blindness joins public health community to advocate for $4.5 billion investment in additional annual funding for public health data infrastructure

June 29: ITEM Coalition urges Medicare Coverage for Low Vision Devices

May 29: Prevent Blindness endorses legislation to establish a Healthy Aging program and national COVID-19 resource center for older adults at the CDC

May 18: Prevent Blindness endorses H.R. 6561, the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020

May 7: Letter to House and Senate leaders supporting $100 million to CDC’s “Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies” program

April 22: Families USA letter urging Congress to secure healthcare access and coverage for families and children during COVID-19 crisis

April 15: Prevent Blindness joins Public Health Workforce Coalition

April 10: Prevent Blindness joins American Council of the Blind coalition letter to urge Congress to protect voting rights for Americans with disabilities

April 8: Nonprofit community letter to Congress urging relief for nonprofit organizations in CARES Act

April 6: Coalition for Health Funding letter to Congress outlining priorities for COVID-19 relief legislation

April 3: Public health community recommends $4.5 billion to modernize public health data infrastructure

April 3: Prevent Blindness joins over 200 organizations calling on the Administration to provide PPE, including protective eyewear, to front line responders

March 30: Prevent Blindness endorses NCOA efforts to secure $14 million in FY2021 for falls prevention efforts, as recommended by Senate Aging Committee

March 27: Trust for America’s Health recommendations on addressing older adults’ needs during COVID-19 pandemic

March 25: 212 organizations call on Congress to safeguard patient access to medication during COVID-19 pandemic

March 23: Families USA letter requesting state and local relief to safeguard Medicaid programs

March 20: National Health Council letter to Congress to include nonprofit organization assistance in economic stimulus funding

December 2: Prevent Blindness supports $10 million in FY2020 for CDC’s Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies program

November 5: Prevent Blindness endorses H.R. 4334, the Dignity in Aging Act, and encourages swift reauthorization of the Older Americans Act

October 11: Statement Regarding Resolution SCR-73 Passed by the California State Legislature

October 3: Children’s Budget Coalition letter supporting strong top-line spending levels for federal children’s programs

September 9: Prevent Blindness joins over 395 patient and provider organizations to endorse legislation to protect patients from harmful prior authorization policies

August 13: I Am Essential Coalition letter regarding HHS proposals to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act

June 24: Prevent Blindness joins 32 organizations to endorse reauthorization of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2019

June 18: Prevent Blindness joins 180 organizations to endorse the Public Health Funding Restoration Act, which would replenish the Prevention and Public Health Fund

June 17: Vision organizations, including Prevent Blindness, oppose Administration’s proposed 25% tariffs on optical products imported from China

June 10: Prevent Blindness endorses the Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s America (LIFT America Act)

June 3: Letter to Senate Appropriators requesting $76.95 million in FY2020 to the CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program

May 14: Prevent Blindness endorses reauthorization of the School-Based Health Centers program

March 27: Prevent Blindness joins 80 organizations in support of $1 billion over 10 years to the CDC to update national public health infrastructure and surveillance systems

March 20: Friends of HRSA Coalition requests $8.56 billion to the Health Resources and Services Administration in FY2020

March 19: Prevent Blindness joins Friends of the National Center for Health Statistics FY2020 request for $175 million

March 8: Friends of Title V Requests $698 million for Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant

March 7: Prevent Blindness supports $76.95 million for CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program in FY2020

March 6: Prevent Blindness expresses concern to HHS Secretary Alex Azar regarding impact of Section 1115 waivers on Medicaid access and services

March 4: Prevent Blindness endorses CDC Coalition’s FY2020 program level request for $7.8 billion to CDC

Feb. 10: I Am Essential Coalition letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma regarding essential health benefits

January 22: Vision 2020/USA Letter to Surgeon General