Published 1/27/2022
Washington, D.C. (January 27, 2022)—The Political Action Committee of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (the Orthopaedic PAC) has formally endorsed fellow member and Montana sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon Al Olszewski, MD, FAAOS, for Congress. Dr. Olszewski is running as a Republican for the newly created Western Montana district, known as District 1, and has served as a healthcare adviser to the state since 2009.
“As we begin a new year, I am proud to support a fellow orthopaedic surgeon running for federal office. The ongoing healthcare crisis shows that we need more physicians in elected office to advocate for our patients, practices, and profession,” said AAOS President Daniel K. Guy, MD, FAAOS. “In the Montana state legislature, Dr. Olszewski led several bipartisan, common-sense healthcare initiatives. We are confident he will bring a wealth of healthcare policy knowledge to our nation’s capital and continue to advance the Association’s legislative priorities.”
Prior to his bid for Congress, Dr. Olszewski served in the Montana State Legislature for six years where he sponsored bills to improve medical liability reform, increase reimbursement for Medicaid services, prevent unexpected out-of-network medical bills for patients, and reform loan forgiveness programs for physicians serving rural communities. He was successful in passing legislation to reduce the over-regulation of healthcare billing processes and was awarded for his bipartisan work from both the Montana Medical Society and the Montana Coalition to Prevent Suicide.
“I have appreciated the opportunity to serve my patients, the community, and my state in shaping the future of healthcare,” said Dr. Olszewski. “If given the opportunity to carry on this important work at the federal level, I will continue to be a servant leader who looks for bipartisan solutions that prioritize affordable patient-centered care and protect the independent practice of medicine, so that we can leave our healthcare system better than we inherited it for future generations.”
The Orthopaedic PAC hopes Dr. Olszewski can take his state legislative experience and ideas for improving healthcare to Capitol Hill. It plans to help build support for him ahead of the midterm election and advocate for increased physician representation in Congress.
“Dr. Olszewski shares the opinions of AAOS on many legislative issues of importance to the musculoskeletal community and has experience fighting for common-sense reforms,” said Orthopaedic PAC Chair John T. Gill, MD, FAAOS. “We look forward to growing support for his candidacy in the months ahead and helping him apply the lessons learned from the state of Montana for the betterment of our nation.”
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About the Orthopaedic PAC
The Political Action Committee of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or "The Orthopaedic PAC," is the only national political action committee in Washington, D.C., dedicated solely to representing orthopaedic surgeons before Congress. Formed to help advance the legislative agenda of the AAOS and subspecialty orthopaedic groups, the orthopaedic PAC supports candidates for federal office who champion orthopaedic issues. It is nonpartisan and was recently named the 2019 Outstanding Association PAC by the Public Affairs Council.
Contact AAOS Media Relations
Kristen Coultas
202-548-4143
coultas@aaos.org