AASM Legislative and Policy Agenda
This synopsis highlights the legislative and policy priorities of the AASM as we advocate to advance sleep care and enhance sleep health to improve lives. Rather than being an exhaustive or ranked list, this agenda provides a general framework for our advocacy priorities.
Federal Initiatives
Congressional Sleep Health Caucus
We will recruit members of Congress to join the new caucus and will organize caucus meetings to help advance these advocacy priorities.
Medicare Coverage for PAP Devices
We will develop and implement a strategy to address the most problematic features of the CMS national coverage determination (NCD 240.4) and local coverage determination (LCD L33718) for positive airway pressure (PAP) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), including the 90-day adherence rule for continued coverage, the adherence definition, the hypopnea definition, and the requirement for unnecessary repeat testing.
Physician Reimbursement for Sleep Services
We will develop and implement a strategy to demonstrate to payers the value of sleep care and the importance of adequate reimbursement for sleep services.
Prior Authorization
We will collaborate with the American Medical Association (AMA) on efforts to reform the prior authorization process, supporting legislation such as H.R.3107, and will advocate for payers to change sleep-specific prior authorization policies that ignore the clinical expertise of sleep clinicians, overrule their clinical decision-making, and force some patients with sleep disorders to receive inadequate care.
Stark Law Reform
We will continue to advocate for an exception to allow board-certified sleep medicine physicians to provide PAP therapy to Medicare patients who have OSA and will explore potential models for sleep physicians to take advantage of the new exceptions for value-based arrangements.
Expansion of Telemedicine Coverage
We will support efforts to expand coverage of telemedicine services by public and private payers, whether through regulation or legislation such as S.368, the Telehealth Modernization Act.
Elimination of Daylight Saving Time
We will support legislation, based on our position statement, that would establish permanent standard time nationwide and will urge Congress to have a hearing on the effects of daylight saving time.
Sleep Research Funding
We will join the Sleep Research Society (SRS) in advocating for more federal funding for sleep and circadian research.
Drowsy Driving
We will support legislation to mandate screening, testing, and treatment for sleep disorders among commercial operators to address sleep-related safety concerns.
School Start Times
We will support efforts at a national level, such as H.R.1861, to study and promote later start times for middle schools and high schools, based on our position statement.
Student Sleep Health Week
We will continue to organize the recognition of the third week of September as National Student Sleep Health Week, which is supported by H.R.1103.
State Initiatives
Scope of Practice
We will advocate for state dental boards to adopt policies that align with the AASM position statement, “Clinical Use of a Home Sleep Apnea Test,” and the AMA policy, “Appropriate Use of Objective Tests for Obstructive Sleep Apnea H-35.963.”
Elimination of Daylight Saving Time
We will support local, grassroots initiatives — based on our position statement — that urge Congress to have a hearing on the effects of daylight saving time and establish permanent standard time nationwide.
School Start Times
We will support legislation for later middle school and high school start times, based on our position statement, using California SB-328 as a model.
Updated May 13, 2021