Leadership Dialogue

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

In this episode, Tina Freese Decker, 2025 chair of the AHA Board of Trustees, talks with Chad Golder, general counsel at the AHA. Freese Decker and Golder discuss the current legal environment, what the AHA is doing on behalf of members, and what hospital and health system leaders can do to help.

Issues they cover include:

• The 340B Drug Pricing Program, a crucial lifeline for eligible hospitals to manage rising prescription drug costs and ensure 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.

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