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American Hospital Association calls on Trump to support hospital policies
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The American Hospital Association recently sent President-elect Donald J. Trump two letters outlining its public policy priorities for the new administration.
“In today’s transformative and challenging environment, we are proud of the contributions of America’s hospitals and health systems, and are encouraged by the opportunities to lead our health care system into the future,” Richard J. Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association (AHA), wrote. “To help advance health in America, we ask that your administration — in collaboration with Congress and the courts, and in partnership with health care providers — help modernize the public policy environment to enhance providers’ ability to improve care and make it more affordable for patients.”
In the letter, the AHA urges the Trump administration not to repeal the Affordable Care Act without having a replacement plan in place and to consider the association’s five public policy priorities, which include:
- Reducing regulatory burden;
- enhancing affordability and value;
- promoting quality and patient safety;
- ensuring access to care and coverage; and
- advancing health system transformation and innovation.
Specifically, the AHA advised the administration to eliminate Stage 3 of the meaningful use program for hospitals, implement a financial penalty for high rates of incorrect denials under the Recovery Auditor Contractor contracts, revise the anti-kickback statute to include clinical integration arrangements protection, standardize the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s federal merger review and cancel several regulations that jeopardize access to post-acute care.
The AHA encouraged Trump to support financial policies to make health care more affordable, improve performance and enhance quality. To do this, the organization suggests that the administration address rising drug prices, protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program, challenge anticompetitive conduct, such as major health insurance company mergers, and investigate Medicare structural reforms.
The association also called for the Trump administration to improve several quality reporting requirements that it claims are excessive, conflicting and not meaningfully improving care. In addition, AHA urges the administration to advance health information technology infrastructure to ensure optimal support care delivery.
AHA emphasized the importance of access to affordable health care and coverage in its correspondence, calling on the Trump administration to continue to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program, expand access to and eliminate barriers to mental health services and treatment, eradicate site-neutral payment cuts and launch a permanent Veterans Choice Program.
To increase patient convenience, care coordination and quality, while reducing costs, the association advocates for the Trump administration to preserve and improve new payment and delivery models, such as accountable care organizations requirements and advanced alternative payment models under MACRA.
“As your administration and Congress look to address the health care needs of Americans, we look forward to working with you on solutions that will ensure the adoption of sound public policies that result in more affordable, accessible, high-quality care,” Pollack wrote. “Given that health care represents a significant portion of the economy and essential public services, we urge you not to make any abrupt changes that could lead to significant instability for patients, providers, insurers and others.”
For more information:
http://news.aha.org/article/161130-aha-shares-public-policy-priorities-with-presidentelect-trump
http://www.aha.org/advocacy-issues/letter/2016/161130-let-pollack-trump.pdf
http://www.aha.org/advocacy-issues/letter/2016/161202-let-pollack-trump-regulatory-reform.pdf
Disclosure: Healio Internal Medicine was unable to confirm any relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.