​​​​​​​ASPS in the States

As state legislation has increasingly impacted the practice of medicine, ASPS has assumed the role of plastic surgery's voice in state capitols across the country. Unlike the federal government, state governments get things done. Also, many issues that are left to states to decide can directly affect you and your patients. 

Ask Your State Legislator to Support Plastic Surgery Today

Participate in ASPS's Active State Alerts

 

OUT OF NETWORK BILLING

Physicians Deserve Fair Payment. Patients Deserve Protection.

Nationwide, state governments are attempting to enact legislation to prevent patients from receiving "surprise medical bills."  ASPS is working to ensure these laws make sense for providers, so physicians aren't penalized for insurers creating overly narrow and confusing networks. 


MANDATORY MEDICARE PARTICIPATION

ASPS strongly oppses state government initiatives that make participation in Medicare mandatory.  Because a portion of ASPS's membership works entirely with self-pay patients, this requirement would effectively cripple their practices.  



SCOPE OF PRACTICE

ASPS vigilantly monitors state legislation for attempts by non-physicians to inappropriately expand their surgical scope of practice. When we identify a move in this direction, we aggressively counter it by informing lawmakers that a health care providers' scope of practice needs to be commensurate with their education and training if patients are to truly ​be protected.


  • ASPS comments to the Washington State Senate on dental scope of practice
  • ASPS comments to the Alaska and Pennsylvania legislatures on optometric scope of practice and a coalition letter to the Louisiana Governor on optometric scope of practice
  • ASPS comments to Oregon Governor Kate Brown on esthetician scope of practice


 

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

To help alleviate "white coat confusion," healthcare advertising should be free of deceptive or misleading statements. Patients deserve to know precisely what type ​of health care professional is treating them. ASPS works individually to ensure this and also works as an integral part of the Truth in Advertising Coalition by advancing policies that require healthcare providers to clearly state their level of training, education, certification and licensing.



OFFICE BASED SURGERY (OBS)

OBS practices have been recently subject to increased scrutiny due to high-profile cases where complications have occurred in these settings. Unfortunately, the response to these cases is often an overreaction involving measures designed to force a uniform standard of care. ASPS advocates for commonsense rules for office settings that protect patient safety without being overtly onerous for physicians practicing in these facilities.​

 

  • ASPS comments to the New York State Assembly on OBS legislation


BREAST CANCER PATIENT EDUC​ATION ACT

Women need to be informed about their options prior to mastectomy. The BCPEA is ASPS's model bill, introduced in both Congress and in individual states, designed to educate women on the availability and coverage of breast reconstruction and available alternatives after undergoing mastectomy or lumpectomy.


  • ASPS comments to the Massachusetts State House on state BCPEA legislation

COSMETIC AND OTHER MEDICAL TAXES

ASPS strongly opposes the imposition of new taxes on physician services, whether on the patient or the physician. These taxes are a dangerous precedent to set, as they raise health care costs and threaten access to patient care. Taxes on health care should not be the tool used to help fix a state's financial problems.​

  • The Stop Medical Taxes Coalition letter​​ to the Maine ​Legislature on its effort to enact a tax on cosmetic medical procedures
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