AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack: Unfinished Business

It’s a new year but Congress has some old business to attend to—including many critical hospital and health system priorities.  Both Houses of Congress will be back in session next week. Front and center is legislation to keep the government open past January 19. Also on Congress’ to-do list are hospital priorities such as long-term funding of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, eliminating Medicaid disproportionate-share hospital cuts, extending important Medicare programs for rural hospitals, stopping the harmful 340B cuts in the outpatient rule and private market stabilization, among other things. On top of these items, loom the issues of raising our nation’s debt ceiling—or borrowing limit—as well as another potential revisiting of the Affordable Care Act and, possibly, entitlement reform. As Congress does its work, we in the hospital and health system field must remain vigilant against any cuts to our elderly, poor and disabled patients served by Medicare or Medicaid. Please make it your resolution to weigh in with your members of Congress on protecting hospital and health system priorities that will allow us to better care for our patients and communities. That’s a resolution that we can all get behind.