IHA’s Board of
Directors met last week to discuss significant issues impacting
hospitals, including what’s at stake for hospitals in the recent federal debate
over health care reform. IHA released the following statement on Friday
opposing the Graham-Cassidy legislation.
“Since its introduction on Sept. 13, IHA has been
working to evaluate the impact of the proposed Graham-Cassidy health care
legislation on the patients served by our 170 member hospitals. We believe that
the bill's financing provisions would create major uncertainty for Indiana's
health coverage programs. Reductions in funding for the traditional Medicaid
program and creation of a fiscal cliff for HIP 2.0 in 2026 are major
concerns. The Indiana Hospital Association asks Congress to reject the
proposed legislation and refocus on bipartisan solutions for stabilizing the
individual insurance market.”
This new health
care bill, introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA),
Dean Heller (R-NV) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), could gain momentum as lawmakers
close in on a Sept. 30 deadline to pass a bill repealing and replacing the ACA
with just 51 votes. The Senate is hoping to vote on the bill this week and
we are asking members to take action and contact
your Senators today. Please share the message contained in the statement
above when speaking with your Senator.
Indiana has proven
many times that we are a leading state when it comes to providing comprehensive
and compassionate care in innovative ways that bend the cost curve and improve
outcomes. We can continue our successes, but only if adequate resources are provided.
This
Wednesday, AHA has organized a Virtual
Advocacy Day and IHA members have the opportunity to participate in a
variety of ways, including:
- Send a message to your
senators through the AHA Action Website and share this link with the
members of your hospital family asking them to take action
- Download the AHA digital toolkit to
help spread and amplify our message on social media
- Listen to the latest AHA
podcast,
where AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack provides an update on the state
of play on Capitol Hill
Over the weekend,
the IHA statement was published in the IndyStar.
If you have any questions about IHA’s position or details of the Senate’s
health care bill, please contact IHA President Brian Tabor at
btabor@IHAconnect.org.
