Chair File: Leadership Dialogue — Legal Advocacy to Protect Hospitals With AHA General Counsel Chad Golder

Advocacy is a core part of the work of the AHA, protecting and sustaining what hospitals and health systems need to truly care for our communities. We often hear about legislative and regulatory advocacy, but legal advocacy is another important part of these efforts, both in and outside the courts.

Chad Golder, general counsel at the AHA, recently joined me on the Leadership Dialogue for a conversation on our current legal environment, what the AHA is doing on behalf of members, and what hospital and health system leaders can do to help. 

We discuss a number of issues, including:

• The 340B Drug Pricing Program, a crucial lifeline for eligible hospitals to manage rising prescription drug costs and ensure our patients and communities have access to the health care services they need.
• Regulatory relief to address regulations that foster anticompetitive conduct by insurers and limit the ability of hospitals and health systems to thrive in a competitive free market.
• The many legal challenges to actions the Trump administration has undertaken.
• Potential implications of a Supreme Court decision last year overturning the Chevron doctrine, which required courts to defer to federal agencies to interpret ambiguous laws. 

I hope you find our conversation insightful and strategic. Look for future conversations with health care, business and community leaders on making health better as part of the Chair File in 2025.

* Note that this conversation was recorded on June 10, 2025.