AHA Statement on FY 2024 Proposed IPPS & LTCH Payment Rule

Ashley Thompson
Senior Vice President, Public Policy Analysis and Development
American Hospital Association

April 10, 2023

The AHA is deeply concerned with CMS’ woefully inadequate proposed inpatient hospital payment update of 2.8% given the near decades-high inflation and increased costs for labor, equipment, drugs and supplies. Moreover, long-term care hospitals would see a staggering negative 2.5% payment update under this proposal. These insufficient adjustments are simply unsustainable.

2022 was the most financially challenging year for hospitals during the pandemic, with half of hospitals finishing the year with a negative operating margin. So far, this worrying trend has continued in 2023, most recently with reports of record high hospital defaults. The AHA has repeatedly requested that CMS and the Administration remedy shortcomings in its previous market basket forecasts for all hospitals. For example, CMS’ inpatient payment update was a full three percentage points less than what actual market basket inflation was in 2022 and the long-term care update was 2.9 percentage points less.

Layering these inadequate inflationary adjustments on top of Medicare’s existing underpayments to hospitals does not reflect the reality of the world hospitals are providing care in. Without more substantial updates in the final rule, hospitals’ ability to continue caring for patients and providing essential services for their communities will be threatened.
 

###

Contact:    Ben Teicher, bteicher@aha.org
                 Colin Milligan, cmilligan@aha.org