In a special episode recorded live on Capitol Hill, host William Chey, MD, speaks with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell about current challenges facing public health and policy issues surrounding access, advocacy and physician burnout. · When thinking about health care legislation, what value do you place on preventing disease over treating it? 2:46 · Why can&#x27;t we get a permanent fix for telehealth benefits? 8:44 · Do you think there is any hope for passing the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act? 10:43 · Chey and Dingell discuss health care disparities and incentivizing physicians to practice in rural areas. 11:55 · Chey and Dingell discuss NIH research. 15:47 · What can we do to get legislation like the Safe Step Act across the finish line? 21:45 We&#x27;d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. Reference: · Chey WD. Biomedical research in America: The corrosive effects of uncertainty. ACG Magazine. 2026;10(2):4-5. Chey and Dingell report no financial disclosures. Debbie Dingell represents Michigan&#x27;s 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Live from ACG Advocacy Day 2026: Conversation on health policy in GI

Gut Talk

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** Gut Talk

## Transcript

It's no secret that many of us are challenged with the balance of giving good care to our patients, dealing with a health system that's broken, keeping up with administrative tasks such as notes and licensure, and balancing all of that with our own wellness and families. I have personally experienced these struggles many times in my career.

That's why I'm really excited to introduce Healio Community, a gated platform where we can discuss these common challenges and learn about solutions that can help our mental, physical, and financial well-being. On Community, you'll find opportunities to connect with like-minded peers, join groups that suit your interests, and participate in meaningful discussions. Visit helio.com slash community to register. I hope you'll join me over there.

Welcome to another episode of Gut Talk by Healio, a podcast about all things gastroenterology. I'm your host, Samir Berry. And I'm William Chey. Sameer and I are both from the University of Michigan, and we're going to do our best every month to pull back the curtain on some of the most interesting people and topics in gastroenterology. Thanks for listening. My name is William Chey. I'm the president of the American College of Gastroenterology and chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

I'm the president of the University of Michigan, and I'm here for Advocacy Day on behalf of the American College of Gastroenterology. On Advocacy Day, which occurs every year, we bring a group of leaders and young physicians in gastroenterology to Washington to advocate for issues that are important, both on a national and on a state level.

And it's a great way for both the congressmen and senators as well as our physicians to get to know one another and to understand the issues that we're respectively passionate about. So today, I'm delighted to have the honor of speaking to Debbie Dingell. Debbie's been a very close friend of mine and colleague of mine for many years now. She, of course, represents Michigan's sixth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Debbie, welcome to Gut Talk. Well, it's great to be here with you. It's great to see you in Washington, D.C., out of Ann Arbor. And even more importantly, thank you for the issues you care about. Absolutely. And unfortunately, you can't see Debbie, but she's dressed in black and it's 86 degrees outside today. I wanted to thank you for continuing to lead the fight in Congress for improving access to surveillance colonoscopy so that our patients with a personal history of polyps have their follow-ups covered as preventive care.

You signed a recent bipartisan appropriations letter on the issue and a few years ago led a letter that went to CMS leadership. When thinking about your health care legislative priorities, what value do you place on preventing disease over simply treating it? Well, first of all, I'm going to be very honest here that ...

Live from ACG Advocacy Day 2026: Conversation on health policy in GI

Transcript

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Live from ACG Advocacy Day 2026: Conversation on health policy in GI

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.