State legislators from across the nation convened in Louisville, Kentucky August 5-8 for the 50th National Conference of State Legislators Summit. As part of DPCs ongoing work in the states, DPC was on hand to share our critically important work on access to affordable Medigap coverage. Megan Hashbarger, VP of Government Relations, Yolonda Brisbane, Grassroots Manager, and Elizabeth Lively, Eastern Region Advocacy Director attended the event.
We heard so many stories from interested state legislators who either a family member or friend dealing with kidney disease issues. Legislators from Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia visited the DPC booth. In addition to crewing the DPC booth in the Exhibition Hall, staff attended multiple state receptions, networking to elevate DPC and advocate for our important work. Bill sponsors from states that already passed our Medigap legislation stopped by our booth to catch up (Indiana, Kentucky, Rhode Island and Virginia) and we met with bill sponsors who are moving Medigap legislation in Georgia, Michigan and Ohio. A site visit to the DaVita Louisville clinic rounded out the advocacy work accomplished over the four-day event.
The NCSL Summit was an excellent opportunity for networking and building partnerships. We look forward to participating in next year’s NCSL Summit, which will be held in Boston.
