Legislation and Legislative Advocacy

The American Hospital Association (AHA) shares resources on health care legislation being considered by the U.S. House and Senate and legislative advocacy opportunities for hospitals and health systems.

This AHA Legislative Advisory offers a detailed summary of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act of 2018, which President Trump signed into law Oct. 24.
The Senate today passed by a vote of 98-1 the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, the final House and Senate agreement on legislation to address the opioid crisis. Approved by the House last week, the legislation includes an AHA-supported provision that would allow states to receive federal…
The House of Representatives last night voted 361-61 to pass legislation to provide $178.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2019 and extend current funding levels for other federal programs until Dec. 7.
House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) and member Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) yesterday urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to take AHA-supported action to continue to provide regulatory relief for rural providers.
The Illinois Supreme Court today unanimously upheld the state’s hospital property tax exemption law, rejecting the plaintiff’s argument that the statute was unconstitutional because it failed to expressly mention the constitutional requirements for exemption.
More than 100 organizations, including the AHA, yesterday urged House and Senate leaders to include the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act (H.R. 6082) in the final agreement on opioid legislation.
The Senate today voted 93-7 to pass legislation that would provide $178.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2019 and extend current funding levels for other federal programs until Dec. 7.
The Senate last night voted 98-2 to approve the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act (S. 2554), a bill that would prohibit private health plans from restricting a pharmacist’s ability to inform enrollees when a drug would cost less without using their insurance.
The Senate Sept. 17 passed the Opioid Crisis Response Act, a substitute amendment to the House-passed opioid package (H.R. 6).
The House and Senate conference committee yesterday approved legislation that would provide $178.1 billion in discretionary funding for the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2019 and extend current funding levels for other federal programs until…