Senators and representatives are back in Washington, D.C., with several items on their agenda. Funding for the federal government, including certain important health care programs, is set to expire Oct. 1. Congress also must act before Oct. 1 to extend key health care policies, including the Low-volume Adjustment and Medicare-Dependent Hospital programs, telehealth and hospital-at-home programs, as well as the moratorium on Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts. Additionally, Congress needs to act before the end of the year to extend the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits that help individuals and families purchase insurance on the Health Insurance Marketplace.
It is important that your legislators understand hospitals and health systems cannot sustain any additional funding reductions, especially as we are facing the implementation of Medicaid cuts in the OBBBA.
Start building relationships with your legislators and their staffers through calls, emails and face-to-face meetings. Learn how to host a site visit at your hospital and get tips on how to tell your hospital’s story. Your voice can make a difference.
Make sure your members of Congress know the importance of supporting policies that allow hospitals to provide care to their communities. The following resources can help you and your team in these conversations.
The AHA Political Action Committee (AHAPAC) allows eligible hospital leaders to make voluntary donations toward the support of federal candidates of both political parties who support the hospital policy agenda. AHAPAC is bipartisan, working with state hospital associations and others.
For more information, please email pac@aha.org.
Learn more about AHAPAC
AHA Advocacy Alliance were created to help you engage your legislators on specific issues that have a direct impact on your ability to continue providing quality health services in your community. Alliance activities include special briefing calls and emails to keep members up-to-date on key developments, breakout sessions at AHA Advocacy Days, direct member outreach and other issue-specific resources.
Register for an alliance
The Coalition to Strengthen America’s Health Care was formed to protect access to the best quality health care for all Americans. We are a community of more than one million people who recognize the important role hospitals play in communities all over America, and advocate on their behalf to elected officials in Washington who too-often put funding for paitent care on chopping block.
Read about the Coalition
