In this episode of Fighting for Family Medicine, David Tully, Vice President of Government Relations at AAFP, provides a detailed review of the organization's advocacy efforts for December. Topics covered include a new advisory committee vote on Hepatitis B vaccination, the decline in the rural family physician workforce, updates on value-based care models, feedback on AI-enabled medical devices, opposition to proposed HIPAA security rule, the harmful practice of downcoding by health plans, policies to make health care more affordable, IRS updates on health savings accounts for direct primary care services, and the reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act.

Topics by Timestamp

00:00 Introduction and Year-End Advocacy Overview

00:36 Hepatitis B Vaccine Policy Update

01:27 Rural Family Physician Workforce Decline

02:19 Value-Based Care and New Payment Models

02:56 AI in Medical Devices and Cybersecurity Concerns

04:05 Addressing Down Coding and Healthcare Costs

05:51 Direct Primary Care and Health Savings Accounts

06:37 Substance Use Disorder Legislation Success

07:10 Conclusion and How to Get Involved

Additional Resources

• AAFP Supports Maintaining Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination at Birth | AAFP

• AAFP Letter to Senate HELP Committee in Support of the SUPPORT Reauthorization Act - December 6, 2023

• AAFP Statement for the Record for Senate Finance Committee Hearing on Affordability - November 19, 2025

• Family Physician Workforce Trends: The Toll on Rural Communities | Annals of Family Medicine

• AAFP Letter to DOJ, FTC and CMS on Downcoding - November 21, 2025

• Sign-on Letter to HHS on Withdrawing HIPAA Cybersecurity Proposed Rule - December 8, 2025

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