Action Center

ACTION NEEDED: New Analysis Shows Site-neutral Proposals Would Reduce Medicare Payments to Hospitals by Billions

Congress continues to discuss a number of proposals that would enact additional site-neutral payment cuts. The AHA strongly opposes these proposals because they would reduce Medicare payments to hospitals and health systems, creating a significantly negative impact on the field’s financial sustainability and further contributing to Medicare’s chronic failure to cover the cost of caring for its beneficiaries. The hospital field is already facing severe financial pressures, and any further funding reductions would jeopardize access to care for patients and communities.

ACT NOW: Senate Committee Hearing to Focus on Consolidation

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing June 8 at 10 a.m. on issues that affect hospitals and health systems. This hearing will examine the issue of hospital and health system consolidation and may also include site-neutral payment policies and transparency.

Urge Lawmakers to Sign Bipartisan Letters to CMS on Hospital IPPS Rates

Encourage your Senate and House lawmakers to ensure that hospitals have the resources they need to deliver high quality care by using Congress' special exceptions and adjustments authority to revise the IPPS final rule.

Resources on Key Advocacy Issues

Get up to speed on the issues in which AHA is engaged, due to to their significant impact on hospitals and health systems.

Advocacy Outreach with Your Lawmakers

Bruce White, CEO of Knox Community Hospital in Ohio, shares advice on educating and engaging elected officials to support hospitals and the health care workforce.

2023 Advocacy Agenda

Advocacy Issues

AHA Action Alerts

AHA Fact Sheets

AHA Letters

AHA Special Bulletins

AHAPAC

2023 House/Senate Calendar

Find Your Legislator

Working with Congress

Tips and Best Practices

Join an Alliance

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.

Support the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care

The Coalition to Protect 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

Learn about AHA's PAC

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. AHAPAC raised more than $4 million for the 2020 elections, making more than 1,000 different contributions.

For more information, please email sdexter@aha.org.

Learn more about AHAPAC

The AHA Advocacy Alliancefor Coordinated Care

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for Coordinated Care focuses on ensuring adequate payment for the higher level of care capability that hospitals provide in the outpatient setting and for post-acute care providers. It also monitors payment reduction proposals for other care sites.

The AHA Advocacy Alliancefor Graduate Medical Education

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for Graduate Medical Education focuses on advocacy related to GME funding and ensuring an adequate supply of physicians. This alliance is a joint effort between the AHA and the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The AHA Advocacy Alliancefor Rural Hospitals

Building on the AHA's extensive work on behalf of small and rural hospitals, this alliance focuses on extending key Medicare provisions that would otherwise sunset, including the low-volume hospital payment adjustment, the Medicare-Dependent Hospital Program, Section 508 reclassifications and the outpatient hold harmless. In addition, the alliance will continue to work to protect Critical Access Hospitals and other rural hospital designations.

The AHA Advocacy Alliancefor the 340B Program

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for the 340B Program focuses primarily on promoting the value that the 340B program provides to hospitals, patients and communities, as well as preventing attempts to scale back this program. For more information, click here.

The AHA Advocacy AlliancePost-acute Care Advocacy Alliance Update - April 14, 2022

Post-acute Care Advocacy Alliance Update - April 14, 2022.

The AHA Advocacy AlliancePost-acute Care Advocacy Alliance Update - June, 2022

Post-Acute Care Advocacy Alliance newsletter for June 2022.

The AHA Advocacy AlliancePost-acute Care Advocacy Alliance Update - May 12, 2022

Post-acute Care Advocacy Alliance Update - May 12, 2022

The AHA Advocacy AlliancePost-Acute Care Advocacy Alliance Update - September 20, 2022

A bipartisan letter is circulating in the Senate by Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Bob Casey (D-PA).

The AHA Advocacy AlliancePost-Acute Care Advocacy Alliance Update - September 22, 2022

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Urge Your Senators to Sign ‘Dear Colleague’ Letter to CMS on Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) Implementation

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for Rural Hospitals

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for Graduate Medical Education

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for Coordinated Care

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for the 340B Drug Pricing Program

The AHA Advocacy Alliance for the 340B Drug Pricing Program focuses primarily on promoting the value that the 340B program provides to hospitals, patients and communities, as well as preventing attempts to scale back this program. For more information, click here.