Health Equity
Medicaid Enrollment Touches 39% of the Residents of The District of Columbia; DC’s 70/30 FMAP is Vital for the Maintenance of Health & Human Services
A reduction in the District’s FMAP would not lead to long-term government savings and would have a ripple effect throughout the entire health system in the DMV, crippling access to care for not only Medicaid beneficiaries but also all those who live, work, and visit the District of Columbia, including members of Congress and their staffs.
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Why does DC receive an Enhanced FMAP Rate?
The DC FMAP rate of 70% established by the Revitalization Act resulted from bipartisan analysis, discussion, and negotiation by Congressional leadership aiming to balance fairness with the District’s restricted ability to generate revenue. Congress recognized that the District of Columbia faces unique financial challenges due to its non-state status and the significant amount of federally-owned land within its boundaries. The District is unable to tax non-residents’ earnings, so these workers pay no taxes to support the infrastructure and services, such as roads, public safety and emergency services that they benefit from in the District. The District is also unable to tax up to 40% of the real property within its borders due to statutory restrictions.
Why are we concerned about DC's FMAP now?
Members of Congress have proposed reducing the DC FMAP to the statutory minimum for all other states, which is currently 50% (but could be reduced even more). Such a change would impact every physician and every practice, regardless of type, location, and payers contracted. Even practices who take no insurance will not be able to send patients for specialist care, hospital admissions, or other types of care.
What can MSDC members do?
- If you know a member of Congress or staffer, reach out to them and share how DC cuts will hurt your patients.
- Share your relationships and outreach with hay@msdc.org so we can help coordinate advocacy efforts.
- Email hay@msdc.org if you would like to be paired with a physician member of Congress office and trained by MSDC staff on how to reach out.
Resources
- DC FMAP cut fact sheet
- California Medical Association fact sheet on Medicaid cuts
- MSDC and healthcare association letter to Congress arguing against DC FMAP changes.
- MSDC original story on Medicaid changes.
News, Statements, and Testimony on Health Equity Issues
Why MSDC Created a Mentoring Program, and How You Can Participate
A mentor enables a person to achieve. A hero shows what achievement looks like.
John Cromwell Mather
Almost one year ago, I was sworn in as president of the Medical Society of DC. That night at the AIA, I shared my goals for my twelve
months as president, including the creation of a new DC physician mentoring program.
As our 2022 annual meeting approaches, I wanted to share how you can help build a sustainable mentorship program. This is the Society’s way of supporting our next generation of physicians and continuing to make DC the best place to practice medicine.
How to join the mentorship program
The program is open to all MSDC members.
If you are a medical student in the DC area, make sure you are signed up as an MSDC member to receive the latest news about the program. It’s complimentary. To become a mentee, email hay@msdc.org to join the mentee list and receive instructions on how we will pair mentors and mentees
If you are an academic attending, work in private practice or for a large corporation, or a non-practicing physician who believes you can give back to the next generation of physician leaders, use this convenient form to share your interest and expertise.
How the program works
MSDC is working with area medical schools to spread the word about the program. Once we have a list of mentors and mentees, we will offer mentees information about mentors that meet their profile or interests. The mentee can contact the potential mentor and arrange a call, meeting, or coffee.
All mentors indicate their time available to serve as mentors, allowing mentees to know how often they can expect to meet with their mentor and plan accordingly. In addition to specialty, mentors are asked to share their areas of interest for mentoring, to allow for mentoring in areas like LGBTQ medicine, underrepresented communities, and advocacy areas.
In the future, as the program evolves, MSDC may open the program up to group or online mentoring.
Why is MSDC creating a mentoring program?
Why is MSDC creating this program now, when many specialty organizations have their own mentoring programs for students? For the same reason we have our other activities – to unite the District’s medical community regardless of specialty.
We know that many students have a specialty in mind but want to expand their network beyond just their medical cohort. They may want to learn from someone of a different medical experience, to explore other specialties or to build their network prior to practice.
Students (and mentors) also may want mentoring in areas other than practice. Physicians from underrepresented communities, the LGBTQ community, and women physicians all benefit professionally from mentorship to allow them to create a support network regardless of specialty.
The District is also a hub of medical brilliance and expertise. Simply allowing students access to this community – especially those outside of their school – makes these students better physicians and allows mentors to share hard-earned knowledge to the next generation.
To make DC the best place to practice medicine, we need to create a continuous conduit of experience and information from one generation to the next. MSDC’s mentorship program does this – regardless of specialty, school, or location in DC.