News

Elections 103: Maricopa County Text Updates

Have you ever wondered if your election ballot was verified and counted? Maricopa County residents can receive text updates on the status of their ballot from start to finish. Want to receive texts for the general election in November? Text the letters “EV” to 628683. You will receive a link to subscribe to text and emails from the Maricopa County Recorder’s office. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation text that you have signed up to receive alerts. Throughout election season, you can text “EV” to 628683 and receive the most recent update on your ballot.

This article was originally published by Eryn Streeter for the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) on Friday, August 5, 2022. 

Elections 102: Candidate Names on a Primary Election Ballot

Have you ever noticed that candidate names listed on a primary election ballot are not always in alphabetical order? Any ballot category that has two or more candidates running for an office will have names rotated so each candidate’s name appears equally at the top. Rotating names provides the opportunity for each candidate to be exposed to the same number of voters as their competitors. In Maricopa County, there are over 19,000 ballot styles for the primary election alone. 

This article was originally published by Eryn Streeter for the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) on Thursday, July 28, 2022. 

Elections 101: Ballot Measure Numbers

Did you know the actual ballot measure number has a specific meaning about the measure? Initiatives and referendums can range from 100 all the way through 400.

Ballot measures that begin with a one are Constitutional amendments. Any proposed amendment to the Constitution must be approved by voters and can be introduced by a voter initiative or legislative referendum. Proposition 105 (1998), which prohibits the legislature from amending citizens’ initiatives, is a well-known example of a constitutional amendment. Measures that begin with a two are citizen initiatives. As you may recall, in 2020, voters had two citizen initiatives: Proposition 207 which legalized recreational marijuana, and Proposition 208 which imposed a tax surcharge on certain income brackets for education funding.

Ballot measures beginning with a three are legislative referendums. In this instance, if sufficient signatures are gathered to demonstrate that voters are not supportive of a newly enacted law, the voters will have the opportunity to override the legislature’s law.  Finally, propositions beginning with a four are bond or budget override, or it is a local government issue. The Peoria Unified School District, for example, referred an override to the ballot in 2020 that would authorize a 13 percent maintenance and operations budget override continuation. 

This article was originally published by Eryn Streeter for the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) on Friday, July 22, 2022. 

ArMPAC Announces 2022 Primary Election Candidate Endorsements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Arizona Medical Political Action Committee (ArMPAC) is pleased to announce its 2022 primary election candidate endorsements for Arizona’s State House of Representatives and Senate. Comprised of physicians across Arizona and led by an 18-member Board of Directors, ArMPAC is a nonpartisan political action committee that supports candidates for office who understand the challenges physicians face today.

2022 Incumbent Endorsements Include:

Arizona House of Representatives

• Rep. Amish Shah, MD — LD5
• Rep. Chris Mathis — LD18
• Rep. Joel John — LD25

Arizona Senate

• Sen. Tyler Pace — LD9
• Rep. Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers — LD10
• Rep. Joanne Osborne — LD29

New candidates

Arizona House of Representatives

• Selina Bliss — LD1

###

About Arizona Medical Political Action Committee

The Arizona Medical Association Political Action Committee (ArMPAC) is the nonpartisan PAC for the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA), the largest organization in the state representing the interests of physicians. ArMPAC endorses candidates who support Arizona physicians and the patients they care for and is committed to the highest quality of healthcare for all Arizonans. For more information, visit www.ArMPAC.org and follow ArMPAC on Facebook and Twitter.

In the Limelight: Dr. Michael Huether

ArMPAC’s donor in the limelight this month is Dr. Michael Huether, who practices dermatology at the Arizona Skin Cancer Surgery Center in Tucson. A native of South Dakota, Dr. Huether was an undergraduate at the University of South Dakota and received his medical doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. After receiving his medical degree, Dr. Huether completed training at Yale’s New Haven Hospital and interned at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Scottsdale.

Dr. Huether’s expertise lies in the surgical treatment of skin cancer, and he has been a private practice physician for more than 20 years. What’s more, Dr. Huether is a long-standing ArMA member with nearly 30 years of experience with the organization. We’d like to recognize Dr. Huether for his generosity and congratulate him on being a Grand Canyon Level contributor! Thank you for your dedication to ArMPAC and organized medicine.

Click here to meet ArMPAC’s other donors.

In the Limelight: Dr. Jennifer Hartmark-Hill

ArMPAC’s donor in the limelight this month is Dr. Jennifer Hartmark-Hill. A true beacon of compassion, Dr. Hartmark-Hill is a Mayo Clinic-trained family medicine physician, an alum of the University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine – Phoenix, and a medical educator. She currently wears many hats, serving at UA as the Director of Faculty Instructional Development Programs, Director of Narrative Medicine, Director of Longitudinal Clinical Experience, and Director of the Patient-Centered Care Curriculum.

Among countless other accolades, Dr. Hartmark-Hill is a Gold Humanism Award recipient for her care for vulnerable populations, including outreach to patients experiencing homelessness through Street Medicine Phoenix. She has a long-standing track record of service and leadership across organizations in Arizona, including the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA). Currently, Dr. Hartmark-Hill is ArMA’s President-Elect.

Click here to meet ArMPAC’s other donors.

Medicare Physician Payment Cuts Halted by U.S. Senate

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden signed legislation passed by the U.S. Senate into law that halted Medicare physician payment cuts. Originally scheduled to go into effect on January 1, the payment cuts would have severely impacted physicians.

Alongside a host of other state medical associations and physician organizations, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) worked diligently to advocate against Medicare physician payment cuts.

According to the AMA, the legislation will cause:

• A three month delay (January 1- March 31) in continuing the 2% Medicare sequester, followed by a reduction to 1% for three months (April 1-June 30);
• A increase in the Medicare physician payment schedule of 3% for the period of one year;
• A year-long pause in the cuts to the clinical lab fee schedule; and
• A year-long pause in the Medicare radiation oncology demonstration.

Additionally, the bill will erase the 4% Medicare PAY-GO cut and prevent any additional PAY-GO cuts through 2022.

Click here to learn more.

First E-Cigarette Authorized by FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given authorization to the nation’s first electronic cigarette. The agency cited the potential benefits to individuals struggling with an addiction to smoking as the primary reason for the authorization.

The approval only applies to Vuse’s Solo e-cigarette, which is manufactured by R.J. Reynolds, and its tobacco-flavored nicotine cartridges. The approval comes as a result of the FDA’s broad review of the millions of e-cigarettes sold in the U.S.; the agency rejected many of the products it reviewed due to the possibility that they would appeal to children.

For the past decade, e-cigarettes and other vape products have been sold in the U.S. with “minimal government oversight or research.”

The FDA is still reviewing products from major vaping companies, including Juul.

Click here to read more.