Understanding State-Level Advocacy: A Guide for Hearing Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Advocacy is a core component of moving the hearing healthcare environment forward to optimize patient care and allow providers to work to the full extent of their scope of practice. Despite its importance, advocacy, particularly at the level of state governments, can present to many as a daunting, sometimes futile, task. The purpose of this article is to describe advocating at the state level for hearing healthcare service providers. This article will discuss considerations for audiology practitioners interested in state-level advocacy, including variations in state government organization, benefits and barriers to state advocacy, and state-level issues that affect practitioners.

Keywords

healthcare advocacy - state advocacy - government relations

• References

• 1 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Scope of practice in audiology [Scope of Practice]. 2018 . Accessed June 19, 2021: https://www.asha.org/policy/sp2018-00353/
• 2 Rich E. Clinicians and health care advocacy: the reason why. In: Sessums L, Dennis L, Liebow M, Moran W, Rich E. eds. Health Care Advocacy: A Guide for Busy Clinicians. New York: Springer; 2011: 93-100
• 3 Iyengar S, Krupenkin M. Partisanship as social identity; implications for the study of party polarization. Forum 2018; 16 (01) 23-45
• 4 Groenendyk E, Sances MW, Zhirkov K. Intraparty polarization in American politics. J Polit 2020; 82 (04) 1616-1620
• 5 Bartlett B. The Size of State Legislatures. New York Times. December 31, 2013
• 6 Liebow M, Libeling T. State level advocacy. In: Sessums L, Dennis L, Liebow M, Moran W, Rich E. eds. Health Care Advocacy: A Guide for Busy Clinicians. New York: Springer; 2011: 93-100
• 7 Hicks WD, Smith DA. Do parties matter? Explaining legislative productivity in the American states. Paper presented at the State of the Parties: 2008 and Beyond Conference. ; October 15–16, 2009; Akron, OH
• 8 Hultin S. The State of Occupational Licensing: Research, State Policies and Trends. The National Conference of State Legislatures. Accessed June 20, 2021: https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/report-the-state-of-occupational-licensing.aspx 2017
• 9 Adams S. 10 States Ratify Compact Allowing Practice Across State Lines. Leader Live 2021
• 10 Friedman Z. Student Loan Debt Statistics in 2021: A Record $1.7 Trillion Crisis. Forbes. February 20, 2021. Accessed May 8, 2021: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2021/02/20/student-loan-debt-statistics-in-2021-a-record-17-trillion/?sh=3ae22a1b1431
• 11 Dickson T, Mulligan EP, DeVahl J. The toll of student debt: stress among health professions students and the promising role of financial self-efficacy on career choices. J Phys Ther Educ 2020; 34 (04) 339-346
• 12 Kim J, Chatterjee S. Student loans, health, and life satisfaction of US households: evidence from a panel study. J Fam Econ Issues 2019; 40: 36-50
• 13 PEW Research Center. Two Decades of Change in Federal and State Higher Education Funding: Recent trends across levels of government. 2018 ; Accessed June 17, 2021: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2019/10/two-decades-of-change-in-federal-and-state-higher-education-funding
• 14 Hegji A. The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer. Congressional Research Service. October 24, 2018. Accessed June 28, 2021: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED593624.pdf
• 15 Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicaid Benefits: Services for Speech, Hearing and Language. 2018 ; Accessed June 29, 2021: https://www.kff.org/medicaid/state-indicator/services-for-speech-hearing-and-language-disorders/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
• 16 United States Census Bureau. Annual Survey of State Government Finances Summary:. 2019 . Washington, DC: December, 2020. Accessed January 20, 2022: https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/econ/g19-asfin.pdf
• 17 Heinowtiz AE, Brown KR, Langsam LC. et al. Identifying perceived personal barriers to public policy advocacy within psychology. Prof Psychol Res Pr 2012; 43 (04) 372-378
• 18 Goodman LA, Wilson JM, Helms JE. et al. Becoming an advocate: processes and outcomes of a relationship-centered advocacy training model. Couns Psychol 2018; 46 (02) 122-153
• 19 Kilburg RR. The development of human expertise: toward a model for the 21st-century practice of caching, consulting, and general applied psychology. Consult Psychol J 2016; 68: 177-187
• 20 Rogers MR, Marraccini ME, O'Bryon EC. et al. Advocates in public service setting: voices from the field. Psychol Serv 2020; 17 (Suppl. 01) 44-55
• 21 Moran WP. Establishing a health policy strategy at the association level. In: Sessums L, Dennis L, Liebow M, Moran W, Rich E. eds. Health Care Advocacy: A Guide for Busy Clinicians. New York: Springer; 2011: 93-100