Survey after survey shows that the #1 reason physicians join the Bexar County Medical Society is "to support organized medicine and have a strong political voice."

In recent decades, physicians have been found to be less likely to vote than the general population, especially in direct comparisons to other members of the professions. But in recent years, physician voter turnout has begun to increase, and continuing this trend couldn’t be more vital to protecting the interests of medicine and its practitioners. Here in Texas, the Texas Medical Association and its component county medical societies stand at the forefront of those advocating for physicians and patients. At both the state and federal level, organized medicine speaks out for the interests of you and your patients, from battling a barrage of bills seeking to further the scope-of-practice creep that threatens physician-led care nationally to working with other state medical associations in seeking long-needed increases, not decreases, to Medicare physician payments. TMA’s professional and grassroots advocates work to keep physicians’ issues at top of mind for legislators and their staffers, and each TMA member has a role to play in bolstering our leverage.

Here at the County level, our Legislative and Socioeconomics Committee plays the most direct role in physician advocacy, forming the basis of our legislative outreach apparatus. Members discuss pivotal legislative policy issues, meet with members of the Texas Legislature’s Bexar County delegation, and share first-hand experience that bears directly on the issues that comprise TMA’s legislative agenda. Our Legislative & Socioeconomics staff liaison helps coordinate meetings with legislators during First Tuesdays in the Capitol, TMA’s longstanding program of fostering physician–legislator relations, as well as meetings here at home. These opportunities to speak face-to-face are available to members who are not currently serving on the committee. If you’d like to get involved in serving as a voice for your profession and your patients, in whatever capacity, please don’t hesitate to contact our Advocacy & Public Health Specialist
Jacob Hernandez, by email at jacob.hernandez@bcms.org or by telephone at (210) 582-6370.