More than 250 hospital and health system leaders participated in today’s AHA Advocacy Day to urge Congress to include in a year-end legislative package priorities to support hospitals and health systems to ensure they are able to continue their mission of caring for the communities they serve. During the briefing, which took place in Washington, D.C., and virtually, AHA leaders provided the latest updates on the congressional landscape and shared key messages that hospital and health system leaders could deliver to their representatives and senators on Capitol Hill. 

“The most powerful tool is when legislators hear from the people back home,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack, kicking off today’s Advocacy Day briefing.

Specifically, the AHA is urging Congress to:

  • Prevent any further damaging cuts to health programs, including stopping the forthcoming 4% Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester.
  • Establish a temporary per diem payment targeted to hospitals to address the issue of hospitals not being able to discharge patients to post-acute care or behavioral facilities because of staffing shortages.
  • Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions to address the workforce need for additional physicians in the U.S.
  • Extend or make permanent the Low-volume Adjustment and the Medicare- dependent Hospital programs — critical rural programs that are due to expire on Dec. 16.
  • Make permanent the expansion of telehealth services and extend the hospital-at-home program.
  • Finalize Senate passage of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which streamlines prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage plans. 
  • Create a special statutory designation for certain hospitals that serve marginalized urban communities.

In addition, the AHA has shared recommendations (https://www.aha.org/lettercomment/2022-12-01-aha-letter-congress-year-end-behavioral-health-priorities) with Congress to expand access to behavioral health care and strengthen the behavioral health workforce.

For additional resources on AHA’s year-end advocacy priorities, please visit the webpage. In addition, sample messages that individuals can customize and send to their lawmakers are available here. 

Related News Articles

Headline
AHA May 23 submitted recommendations to the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in response to the agencies’ requests for information on…
Headline
The House Budget Committee May 18 advanced the fiscal year 2025 budget reconciliation bill by a 17-16 vote along party lines, as four Republicans who…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced by a 30-24 vote along party lines its portion of the fiscal year 2025 reconciliation bill following a…
Headline
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. May 14 testified on President Trump’s discretionary budget proposal for fiscal year…
Headline
The House Ways and Means Committee today advanced its portion of the fiscal year 2025 reconciliation bill by a 26-19 vote along party lines, following an hours…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Committee May 13 began to mark up its portion of the fiscal year 2025 reconciliation bill. The committee has been instructed to…