AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

Medicare/Medicaid

Hill outreach to oppose site-neutral payment cuts; Hill outreach in support of the Acute Hospital Care at Home program; Hill outreach about streamlining prior authorization in Medicare Advantage plans; AHA Letter Comments on Medicare Payment Advisory Commission 2024 Payment Proposals; Support S. 803, Save Rural Hospitals Act of 2023, a bill to amend the title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to rural health care by ensuring fairness in Medicare hospital payments; Letter comments on three topics that were discussed during the December 2023 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) public meeting: Hospital payment update recommendation to Congress, Post acute care facilities update recommendation to Congress, Physician reimbursement update recommendation to Congress; Support HR 2665, Supporting Safety Net Hospitals Act, a bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to delay certain disproportionate share hospital payment reductions under the Medicaid program; Comment letter to CMS opposes the proposal to limit the inclusion of patient days for patients who are regarded as eligible for Medicaid benefits under a Section 1115 demonstration project for purposes of the Medicare DSH calculation; Comment letter to CMS regarding a proposed rule to improve access, quality and health outcomes for Medicaid programs and the proposed policies related to access, finance and quality in Medicaid and CHIP managed care programs; Support H.R. 4968 GOLD Card Act of 2023A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exempt qualifying physicians from prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Monitor H.R. 5378 Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, A bill to promote price transparency in the health care sector, and for other purpose; A comment letter on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) and ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment system proposed rule for calendar year (CY) 2024, The letter urges CMS to examine ways to account for these increased costs to ensure that beneficiaries continue to have access to quality outpatient care. It also urges the agency to reduce the productivity cut for CY 2024 as such a cut does not align with hospital and health systems public health emergency (PHE) experiences related to actual losses in productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic; Hill outreach to oppose the elimination of facility fees; Hill outreach to oppose changes that would prevent providers from negotiating contracting restrictions with commercial health insurance plans; A request letter on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to permanently remove the regulatory waivers which ensure hospitals and health systems could leverage telehealth services to respond to a wave of unprecedented need efficiently and effectively; Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, A letter to comment on the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act; A letter to express concerns regarding CMS proposed restrictions on states use of provider-based funding sources, such as provider taxes, to finance Medicaid payments; A letter to CMS requesting that the agency correct an error in its CY 2024 final rule reimbursement rate for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) (HCPCS code G0277)