AHA advertorial: It's time for real Medicare reform

In an advertorial today in the Wall Street Journal, AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock calls for “real reform” of the Medicare program, “not piecemeal provider cuts,” noting that Congress has cut $122 billion from hospitals alone since 2010. “Washington can’t agree on much these days, but everyone agrees that Medicare is front and center on the congressional agenda,” the advertorial notes. “Too often the debate has centered on cuts to Medicare providers as the way to reduce Medicare spending. While these short-term health care cuts are tempting during a crisis, they won’t solve the program’s long-term challenges. Cuts to Medicare providers would mean reduced access to critical health care services for everyone....It’s time for a national conversation on further ways to modernize Medicare. It’s time for real reform. A number of bipartisan plans and proposals to put Medicare on a sustainable track have identified approaches worth discussing.”