Advocacy & Policy Priorities
Join the National Eczema Association’s advocacy efforts to advance federal and state policies that benefit eczema patients and caregivers, including access to treatment, affordable care and research funding.
Get involved with eczema advocacy
Over 31 million Americans live with the daily challenges of eczema — an unpredictable, painful skin condition that causes itchy, dry, rash-prone skin. The constant daily battle against eczema flares and triggers, plus barriers to effective treatment can significantly impact quality of life for both patients and caregivers.
Are you or a loved one impacted by eczema? Help us advocate for policies that improve the lives of those affected by eczema. Whether it’s advocating for affordable treatments, challenging burdensome insurance barriers or supporting increased eczema research funding — your action can help transform eczema care.
The National Eczema Association (NEA) is committed to advocating for federal and state policies that ensure better access to care, affordable treatment options and increased research funding for eczema. With your voice, we can make a difference.
3 ways to advocate with NEA
1. Visit our advocacy Action Center to easily contact your legislators
Visit our online advocacy Action Center. You’ll find a list of issues and time-sensitive action alerts pushing for better policies for eczema care and research. The Action Center is set up so you can quickly and easily message your legislators about each issue in just a few minutes. You can also sign up to become a digital advocate with NEA in just a few simple clicks.
2. Join our digital advocacy email list
Don’t miss any important advocacy alerts from our Action Center! Join the digital advocate email list. Our digital advocates receive timely email updates on important policy issues and action alerts that can be completed in just a few minutes — but have a lasting impact. By signing up, you’ll stay informed and have opportunities to send messages to your legislators, pushing for better policies for eczema care.
3. Volunteer for NEA Ambassadors
Take your advocacy a step further. Join the NEA Ambassadors program and become an advocate for the eczema community. NEA connects Ambassadors with various opportunities to share their experience with key decision-makers, including legislators, eczema researchers and scientists, healthcare professionals and the public. Ambassadors act as an extension of NEA as they actively work to influence legislation, medical treatments and access to quality care for eczema.
Our policy priorities
NEA focuses on three key policy areas to improve the lives of people with eczema:
1. Raise awareness
Eczema is a serious inflammatory disease that has a significant impact on the lives of those dealing with the condition. This is known as “burden of disease.” Here’s how we raise awareness with lawmakers about the realities of life with eczema:
- Send messages to legislators during Eczema Awareness Month every October and as other timely opportunities arise throughout the year
- Meet with legislators during our annual Virtual Hill Day, August Recess and other engagement opportunities throughout the year
- Keep digital advocates updated on how they can get involved
2. Access to affordable, effective treatments
Too often, eczema patients face high out-of-pocket costs, delays in accessing the medication their doctors prescribe and restrictive insurance practices that stand between them and the care they need. We’re working to change that. Here’s what we’re fighting for:
- Banning copay accumulators so that all copays count, meaning the financial assistance patients receive counts toward their deductible and out-of-pocket maximum
- Preventing non-medical switching, ensuring patients don’t have to switch medications mid-year simply because of formulary changes (changes to the list of medications the insurer covers)
- Capping out-of-pocket costs (like co-payments, coinsurance limits and prepayment requirements) so that vital eczema treatments remain accessible
- Streamlining prior authorization processes, encouraging legislation that requires insurers to use standardized processes that are sensitive to the needs of patients and help reduce unnecessary delays in getting prescribed treatments
- Protecting patients from step therapy (fail-first policies), ensuring they get the medication their doctor prescribes without being required to try and fail other treatments first
- Allowing the use of telehealth, ensuring that patients have the flexibility to utilize in-person or telehealth services when feasible and/or clinically appropriate
3. Increasing federal funding for eczema research
A better understanding of eczema leads to better treatments — and one day, potentially, a cure. NEA is dedicated to increasing federal funding for eczema research through the National Institutes of Health and through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Peer-Reviewed Medical Research program, which provides vital funding for innovative, high risk/high reward medical research.
With more investment in eczema research, we can drive:
- New treatment options tailored to different types and severities of eczema
- Better understanding of eczema, its impacts and prevention
- Improved healthcare outcomes for everyone living with eczema
Our recent advocacy wins
- Eczema added to the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program in Fiscal Year 2023 — a critical step in securing more research funding. We will continue to advocate every year for this inclusion
- Support from new legislators for the Safe Step Act and HELP Copays Act aimed at improving access to affordable treatments
- More than 600 people sent over 1,900 messages to legislators in 2024 alone, pushing for policy change
- Held more than 100 meetings with legislators across the country to discuss eczema advocacy priorities in 2024
- 39 states signed step therapy reform legislation into law
- 21 states have signed legislation to ban copay accumulators
Together, we can change the future of eczema care
Your voice is powerful. Whether you join as a digital advocate, become an Ambassador or support our policy priorities — your action drives change. Together, we can push for affordable, improved care and increased research funding.
