ASHA Member Benefits: Advocacy for the Professions
We’re here to work for and with you on issues that impact you, your clients, and the professions. Our top-notch team of advocacy professionals will guide you in using your voice to elevate and support the professions.
As an ASHA member, you have access to an array of resources and opportunities that support you in advocating at the federal and state level, negotiating salary and compensation, shaping the association’s advocacy priorities and strategy, and much more.
Fighting for You
- A dedicated team of professionals advocating for you and with you to achieve the priorities in the annual Public Policy Agenda by
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- fighting for coverage of, and payment for, audiology and speech-language pathology services;
- facilitating service delivery and increasing access to those services; and
- promoting beneficial working environments.
- A seat at the table with major payers and government agencies—including Medicare, private insurers, and Medicaid programs across the country—which means that you have a hand in
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- influencing coverage policies,
- fighting utilization management tactics,
- addressing unsustainable payment cuts,
- stopping bad policies before you even see them, and
- highlighting the value of your work in the health care arena.
- A place on Capitol Hill where ASHA's advocacy team educates and builds relationships with members of Congress and their staff to gain support on federal issues impacting you. We also empower ASHA members to engage in advocacy through our annual Capitol Hill Day, where trained volunteer leaders share stories about the ways in which public policies impact them.
State Level Supports
- Support for state associations across the country—empowering you to amplify your voice on issues impacting you and those you serve, including protecting your scope of practice from other practitioners.
- Three state-based advocacy groups that are mobilized to show up, speak out, and represent your interests at the state level:
- Leadership in the development and promotion of the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). The ASLP-IC will make it easier and less expensive for you to practice across state lines.
Self-Advocacy Tools
- A platform enabling you to easily Take Action on issues impacting you by emailing your representatives with just the click of a button.
- Tools for salary supplement and compensation advocacy, including action plan steps and downloadable handouts that you can give to administrators and decision makers.
