Complete Story
11/24/2025
Investing in Our Voice: Building Political Power for Ohio PAs
In Ohio, healthcare policy is shaped by the voices that show up, build relationships, and stay at the table year after year. For decades, physician and nursing organizations have done precisely that. Their influence in the Ohio General Assembly is not accidental; it's the result of deep institutional roots, a consistent presence, and well-funded PACs that enable them to cultivate strong legislative relationships strategically.
Physician groups, for example, have some of the most established advocacy infrastructures in the state. Their PACs raise and deploy hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, ensuring their priorities are heard early and often. Nursing organizations, too, have built broad and effective networks that legislators regularly rely on when shaping healthcare policy. These groups are well-resourced, well-organized, and deeply embedded in Ohio's policymaking environment.
PAs, on the other hand, represent a crucial and rapidly growing part of Ohio's healthcare workforce, but we are still catching up in terms of political influence. Our laws remain overly restrictive, our regulatory structure is outdated, and our professional identity is misunderstood. And while OAPA continues to make significant progress, from modernizing outdated statutes to championing the title change initiative, advocating in Ohio's political landscape requires more than good ideas. It requires presence. It requires engagement. It requires resources.
This is why advocacy for our profession cannot be passive. If we want to ensure that PA voices carry the same weight as those of physicians and nurses, we must invest in building the political strength necessary to match the reality of our contributions to patient care.
OAPA's Legislative Fund and PAC are operating with a fraction of the resources available to other healthcare professions. With additional financial support, we can expand our presence in the Statehouse, strengthen our relationships with key legislators, increase our capacity to respond to opposition messaging, and proactively shape the future of PA practice in Ohio rather than react to it.
Every significant advancement in PA practice across the country has shared one thing in common: organized, well-supported advocacy. Ohio is no different. If we want to improve patient access, modernize supervision requirements, expand our clinical capabilities, and secure a professional title that accurately reflects the care we provide, we must be willing to invest in the advocacy required to get us there.
As we approach the end of the year, many of us are deciding where to direct our giving. I ask Ohio PAs to consider OAPA in those decisions. Your contribution, whether large or small, helps build the political foundation that allows our profession to grow, to be heard, and to advance meaningful change.
Healthcare policy will continue to be shaped by those who show up. With your support, OAPA will ensure that PAs are one of those voices. Click here to share your support:
Matthew Freado, MBA, PA-C, is the Government Affairs Committee Chair of the Ohio Association of Physician Assistants.
The Government Affairs Committee supports the profession through advancing PA legislative priorities and removing barriers to practice. Please consider sharing your story about how PA practice law impacts you.
