Election Message from AAFP Board Chair Dr. Jim King

The following is a message from American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Board Chair Dr. Jim King on the importance of the Tuesday, Nov. 4, election:

The 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions are history. The candidates for president and vice president have been chosen. Platforms have been approved and speeches are over. Now, the campaigns for president are in full swing with less than two months to go until a candidate is elected who will determine the future of healthcare – including the future of family medicine.

Family physicians, like you and me, need to be part of this campaign. The candidates and their campaigns need to see us at their rallies and hear from us at their town hall meetings. When a local paper reports on healthcare issues, the campaigns need to see a letter in response or an opinion piece telling them exactly how it will impact family medicine and healthcare reform. Above all, family physicians need to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4, for someone who will move healthcare reform – and family medicine - forward.

As the nation’s advocate for family medicine, AAFP has put together a Web site that will give you everything from the candidate’s positions on primary care issues to the latest polling data. Go to 2008 Presidential Campaign and you will see: 

• Comparison of the candidates’ healthcare proposals; 
• Questions to ask at campaign events;
• Background on family medicine’s major issues; and
• Link to your state’s list of polling places.

Your participation in the political process is important. That is why we ask you to also contribute to FamMedPAC and to sign up to be part of the AAFP Advocacy Action Team. The more visible and vocal family physicians are, the better our chances for improving the healthcare of our patients while reforming our nation's dysfunctional health care system.

Thank you, and do not forget to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4!

Dr. Jim King
AAFP Board Chair