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Government Affairs/Advocacy
Introduction to Advocacy
The mission of the National MS Society is to end the devastating effects of MS. Advocacy is an important mission element. There are many public policies and programs that greatly influence the health, health care, health insurance, and well-being of people with MS. People with MS expect that the National MS Society will represent their interests when important public policy matters are considered or when private businesses act in a way that harms people with MS. The chapters and home office share this responsibility.
The National MS Society has many assets essential to effective advocacy. First, we have committed staff and volunteers who are dedicated to the interests of people with MS. Second, these committed people have shown that they can acquire considerable expertise in important.publ_ic policy issues. Third, people with MS and their families can be extremely persuasive in communicating their views, because they speak with firsthand knowledge of the effects of particular policies on chronically ill and disabled persons. Fourth, the Society's membership can be tapped for advocacy action.
Important Policy Areas for People with MS
Policy Area Jurisdiction Research. Funding for MS-related biomedical
and rehabilitative research, especially
funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).Federal Health insurance. Providing access to health
insurance coverage at an affordable price.Federal & State Long-term care. Providing quality, affordable
alternatives to keep people with MS in the
community for as long as possible, and help
them function at their highest level.Federal & State Disability rights. Assuring physical
accessibility for disabled persons, protecting
their well-being, and preventing
discrimination against them.Federal, State, & Local You can learn more about the Society's advocay in these areas through our the information in our Issue Briefs & Factsheets, Federal Updates, and State Legislative Trends. Who Does What at the Federal, State, and Local Levels?
At the National MS Society, there is a partnership between chapters and the home office; the various responsibilities for advocacy are shared. This lightens the load for all of us and significantly increases our overall effectiveness.
Federal Advocacy
The advocacy programs department of the home office carries the primary responsibility for federal advocacy, with guidance from the advocacy advisory committee of the Society's national board of directors and input from interested Society members. The advocacy programs department conducts legislative and regulatory issue research on pending issues, monitors the progress of important bills and proposed regulations, sets priorities, develops positions and advocacy strategies, communicates this information to the chapters, and triggers the advocacy action required to support or oppose various matters.State Advocacy
At the state level, the chapters carry the primary responsibility for legislative and executive branch advocacy activity through their Government Relations Committees (GRCs). GRCs obtain information about current activity in our priority policy areas through: the advocacy department's "State Legislative Trends," coalitions having mutual interests, involvement in health or disability commissions, subscriptions to publications that report on public policy issues, legislative or executive branch contacts, or their own legislative research. The GRC then uses this information to select and prioritize the most important issue(s) for the year and plan the best advocacy approach. The Society's advocacy programs department functions as a resource to chapters, providing information on issue activity across the states, including model bills and model provisions on certain issues. Upon request, the home office will help chapters with questions on organizational structure, strategy development, and advocacy tactics.Local Advocacy
At the local level, our advocacy efforts are often directed toward issues involving both the public and the private sectors, and tend to be focused on accessibility matters, health care coverage, and long-term care. Again, the chapters, through their Government Relations Committees, take primary responsibility for local advocacy.Private Sector Advocacy
Private sector advocacy usually occurs locally and most often involves three of the five policy areas mentioned above:
• Advocacy for improved coverage of MS treatments and therapies;
• Advocacy for long-term care options tailored to the needs of people with MS; and
• Advocacy for increased access to employment, transportation, the arts, shopping, restaurants, recreation facilities, and so on.