Rep. Richard Neal and Steve Walsh discuss role of hospitals, future of the enhanced premium tax credits

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., ranking member, House Ways and Means Committee, chatted with Steve Walsh, president and CEO, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, on a range of health care topics, including the crucial role hospitals play in their communities and how the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits at the end of last year are affecting the political discourse surrounding hospitals and health care.

“People see hospitals like the neighborhood library, or a fire station — they think that when they need it, it’s there for them,” said Neal. “And I think that has to be part of the national conversation as we go forward.”

The EPTCs have been part of the national conversation, Neal said, since they expired in December 2025; Neal described the cuts as “ill-timed, ill-considered and ill-thought-out.” Following the November elections, “my sense is that we can push back substantively on many of [the cuts],” possibly with bipartisan support. The fight, he said, is not over. “I don’t think we should retreat. We should advance.”