American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) President and CEO Mark Parkinson and Senior Vice President of Government Relations Clifton J. Porter, II have been recognized for their advocacy in the health care sector, receiving some of the top awards among Washington, D.C. lobbyists and industry leaders. Recent awards include:
- The Hill’s Top 100 Lobbyists: Parkinson and Porter both made the list this year. According to The Hill, there are more than 12,500 active lobbyists in 2023. The individuals on this list “stand out for the results they’ve delivered for their clients, companies, trade associations and advocacy groups in the nation’s capital.” This is Porter’s first time receiving this award. Parkinson has received the Top Lobbyist recognition for 11 years running.
- Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare of 2023: Parkinson received this honor for the fourth consecutive year. This prestigious recognition program acknowledges and honors individuals who are deemed by their peers and the senior editors of Modern Healthcare to be the most influential figures in the industry in terms of leadership and impact.
- McKnight’s 2nd Annual Pinnacle Awards: Porter was recognized among a group of 30 industry veterans for “driving change, setting new standards and inspiring others.” The award recipients were nominated by peers and selected by an independent panel of judges.
“We are deeply honored to be recognized among the top leaders in Washington, D.C. for health care advocacy,” said Parkinson. “This is truly a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire AHCA/NCAL team and our membership. We are more determined than ever to continue working on behalf of our nation’s seniors to advance solutions that will help strengthen long term care.”
The accolades reflect both Parkinson and Porter’s efforts to prioritize nursing homes and assisted living communities in the political conversation and guiding AHCA/NCAL in its commitment to its mission of improving lives by delivering solutions for quality care. Parkinson, the former Governor of Kansas, has led AHCA/NCAL since 2011. Porter’s 34-year career has been focused on advocating on behalf of seniors through common-sense policies.
One of the most pressing and recent issues has been the Biden Administration’s federal staffing mandate for nursing homes. The unfunded mandate, which would require facilities to hire more than 100,000 additional full-time staff at a cost of $6.8 billion per year, could result in displacing nearly 300,000 nursing home residents and restricting access to long term care for a growing elderly population. AHCA/NCAL has urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rescind the mandate, while also urging Members of Congress and stakeholders to push back on the misguided policy. Together, Parkinson and Porter led the organization’s efforts to gather comments on the mandate, resulting in more than 46,000 comments to CMS during the formal comment period. Modern Healthcare reported the rule is finding “scant political support,” as Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have voiced their strong opposition. Last week, U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced bipartisan legislation to stop the administration from implementing the rule, underscoring the opposition’s growing momentum.