Access & Health Coverage

Access & Health Coverage / en Sat, 26 Apr 2025 00:30:18 -0500 Fri, 25 Apr 25 08:19:26 -0500 Hospitals Are Cornerstones of Communities. We Must Tell Our Stories to Protect Access to Care /news/perspective/2025-04-25-hospitals-are-cornerstones-communities-we-must-tell-our-stories-protect-access-care One year ago, a nurse at Children’s Hospital Colorado went above and beyond in a way that a very young patient and her family will never forget.&nbsp;Kayla McCarthy specializes in working with young children awaiting or recovering from organ transplants. In May 2024, she was approved as a living organ donor and <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/colorado-news/nurse-donates-liver-to-patient-childrens-hospital-colorado/73-2549bc86-61a8-4ca4-ba3b-aea5f60579d3" target="_blank" title="Article: Nurse helps to save a child&apos;s life">contributed a piece of her liver to a young toddler in her hospital, helping to save the child’s life</a>.&nbsp;McCarthy’s remarkable gift symbolizes with a single gesture what hospitals and their phenomenal care teams mean to the people and communities they serve. It is more than just the doors that are always open to all, any time of day or night. It is even more than the dependable, quality, compassionate care delivered to patients every minute of every day in every corner of the nation.&nbsp;The bond between hospitals and their communities reaches deeper. Hospitals and health systems offer programs that provide healthy food, preventive wellness education and maternal support services to ensure healthy births. Hospitals and health systems provide critical behavioral and mental health services. Hospitals and health systems are major employers, supporting families and businesses while providing a financial foundation that helps communities to thrive. And hospitals and health systems partner with community organizations to address the unique needs of the patients and neighborhoods they serve.&nbsp;For example:&nbsp;<ul><li><a href="/role-hospitals-shodair-childrens-hospital-launches-hope-campaign" target="_blank" title="The Hope Campaign Story">Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena, Mont., has launched the Hope Campaign</a> to reduce stigma and encourage conversations about youth mental health.</li><li><a href="/role-hospitals-virtual-singing-walking-groups-dartmouth-healths-programs-older-adults-enhance-health" target="_blank" title="Dartmouth Health free educational classes">Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, N.H., offers free educational classes, support and services to improve the minds, bodies and spirits of older adults and their families</a>. Older adults can take a class or series of classes to improve their balance, get help using their iPhone, learn strategies for coping with symptoms of chronic disease and get tips for eating healthy.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.tenethealth.com/our-stories/our-stories-detail/our-stories/2025/03/18/the-hospitals-of-providence-unveils-new-perinatal-center" target="_blank" title="Tenet Health&apos;s caring for mothers story">Tenet Health’s The Hospitals of Providence in El Paso, Texas, recently unveiled a new center dedicated to caring for mothers experiencing a high-risk pregnancy</a>.&nbsp;</li></ul>Every hospital and health system has many stories of how they are healing patients and advancing health for communities. Hundreds of these examples can be found on <a href="/tellingthehospitalstory" target="_blank" title="Telling the Hospital Story web page">AHA’s Telling the Hospital Story</a> webpages.&nbsp;These stories are powerful. They inform and inspire. It’s important that we share these stories with our communities and with our legislators, especially as Congress continues to consider funding cuts and policy changes that would jeopardize access to care for millions of Americans across the nation.&nbsp;Next week, Congress returns to Washington, D.C., and congressional committees will begin marking up portions of the budget reconciliation bill to enact key pieces of President Trump’s agenda. On May 7, we expect the House Energy and Commerce Committee to begin marking up its portion of the bill and the potential for significant cuts to the Medicaid program remain on the table. &nbsp;That week, we’ll have more than 1,000 hospital and health system leaders in Washington for <a href="https://annualmeeting.aha.org/registration" target="_blank" title="AHA&apos;s Annual Membership Meeting web site">AHA’s Annual Membership Meeting</a> May 4-6. You can still register to attend if you have not done so yet.&nbsp;Whether you are at the Annual Meeting or not, you can tell your story to your legislators and explain how certain policies would jeopardize access to the 24/7 care and services that hospitals and health systems provide.&nbsp;We need to talk about protecting access to care by rejecting cuts to Medicaid, additional so-called site-neutral payment policies and harmful changes to the 340B program. At the same time, we need to extend the enhanced premium tax credits that help millions of Americans access affordable private insurance; strengthen and support the health care workforce; and provide relief from burdensome regulations and policies that inhibit care.Please see our recent <a href="/action-alert/2025-04-14-take-action-urge-lawmakers-reject-medicaid-cuts-protect-access-care" target="_blank" title="AHA Action Alert with details and resources to support advocacy efforts.">Action Alert</a> for more details and resources to support your advocacy efforts.&nbsp;At the end of the day, the policies we are fighting for will protect access to care and services for patients, as well as help caregivers like Kayla McCarthy continue to do what they do best: heal, comfort and make lives better.&nbsp; &nbsp; Fri, 25 Apr 2025 08:19:26 -0500 Access & Health Coverage AHA issues support for legislation to strengthen LTCH reimbursement /news/headline/2025-04-22-aha-issues-support-legislation-strengthen-ltch-reimbursement The AHA voiced <a href="/lettercomment/2025-04-15-aha-supports-house-securing-access-care-seniors-critical-condition-act" title="senior act">support</a> for the Securing Access to Care for Seniors in Critical Condition Act (H.R.1924), legislation that would provide reimbursement for long-term care hospitals. In comments to the bill’s sponsors, Reps. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., and Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the AHA highlighted declines in the number of LTCH standard-rate cases, providers and reimbursement. Smaller, yet sicker patient populations have also become a challenge for LTCHs.&nbsp;&nbsp; Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:58:52 -0500 Access & Health Coverage AHA Supports House Securing Access to Care for Seniors in Critical Condition Act /lettercomment/2025-04-15-aha-supports-house-securing-access-care-seniors-critical-condition-act April 15, 2025The Honorable Kevin Hern U.S. House of Representatives 171 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515The Honorable Brendan Boyle U.S. House of Representatives 1502 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515Dear Representatives Hern and Boyle:On behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals and health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners — including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers — and our 2,425 post-acute care members, the �� Association (AHA) is pleased to support the Securing Access to Care for Seniors in Critical Condition Act (H.R. 1924).Long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) play a unique role for Medicare and other beneficiaries by caring for the most severely ill and medically complex patients, who often require extended hospitalization and highly specialized care. LTCHs are critical partners for acute-care hospitals, alleviating capacity for overburdened intensive care units and other parts of the care continuum that would otherwise be further strained without access to LTCHs for these patients.Since implementing the dual-rate payment system in 2016, the volume of LTCH standard-rate cases has fallen by approximately 70% from its peak under the prior system, and the number of LTCH providers has decreased by 20%. At the same time, the average acuity of LTCH patients has risen by 20% or more in that same period, and these patients are increasingly consolidated into a limited number of Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs).1 The smaller yet sicker patient population and dwindling reimbursement have created many challenges for LTCHs, as evidenced by the closure of so many of these facilities. The remaining patient pool is notably more acute and costly to treat, resulting in cases increasingly qualifying for high-cost outlier (HCO) payments to compensate for the lack of precision in the DRGs, as so many cases are consolidated into a limited number of DRGs. However, the fixed-loss amount for HCO cases has risen by more than 300% since 2016, forcing LTCHs to take on significant financial losses when caring for these particularly ill patients.For these reasons, the AHA supports legislation that would provide more adequate reimbursement to LTCH providers caring for some of Medicare’s sickest beneficiaries. Thank you for your leadership on these important issues to ensure patients have continued access to this vital care.Sincerely,/s/Lisa Kidder Hrobsky Senior Vice President Advocacy and Political Affairs __________1<a href=/white-papers/2023-12-29-white-paper-medicares-ltch-outlier-policy-needs-reforms-protect-extremely-ill-beneficiaries" target="_blank"> /white-papers/2023-12-29-white-paper-medicares-ltch-outlier-policy-needs-reforms-protect-extremely-ill-beneficiaries</a> Tue, 15 Apr 2025 13:22:45 -0500 Access & Health Coverage A Key Stretch for Urging Congress to Protect Medicaid and Access to Care /news/perspective/2025-03-28-key-stretch-urging-congress-protect-medicaid-and-access-care Congress is back in Washington, D.C., for a critical three-week stretch in which House and Senate Republicans are seeking to strike a compromise on a common budget resolution that would allow them to start the budget reconciliation process to push through priorities on taxes, border security, energy and deficit reduction.As we have been sharing for weeks, as part of these efforts Congress is considering proposals that would reduce funding for hospital care — including potentially devastating cuts to the Medicaid program — that would jeopardize access to the 24/7 care and services that hospitals provide.Medicaid provides high-quality care for more than 72 million Americans, including hardworking families, children, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. More specifically: Medicaid covers 41% of all births in the United States, nearly half of children with special health care needs, 1 in 3 children with cancer, over 1.6 million veterans and 62% of nursing home residents. In addition, many hospitals and health systems, including those in rural areas, rely on Medicaid funding to support access to essential medical services, mental health care and other important programs.Significant cuts to Medicaid would stress the availability of health care services for everyone. Hospitals that serve disproportionately high rates of Medicaid and other public-payer patients routinely operate at a financial loss. Additional reductions in federal support for Medicaid would exacerbate these pressures and could strip essential health care services for entire communities.With such tight margins in the House and the Senate, every senator and representative’s vote is important. That’s why we continue an all-out effort to highlight for lawmakers the real consequences that cutting Medicaid would have for their constituents and their communities.As part of those efforts, the <a href="https://strengthenhealthcare.org" target="_blank" title="Coalition to Strengthen America&apos;s Healthcare">Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare</a>, of which the AHA is a founding member, is running a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRVxw6uJ2scO" target="_blank" title="Faces of Medicaid national ad campaign">Faces of Medicaid</a> national ad campaign that highlights Medicaid’s critical impact on the tens of millions of people who rely on the program for access to care. The campaign includes digital targeting of key elected officials, as well as publications inside the Beltway and influential new media outlets. The Coalition also is engaging its 2.6 million advocates in a grassroots campaign to send letters, make phone calls and send social media posts to their legislators urging them to protect access to care and services.&nbsp;While Republican lawmakers hope to reach an agreement on a common budget resolution before the Easter recess — there are still significant differences and issues that need to be ironed out — that would only start the process of committees drafting specifics for what would be included in a reconciliation package. So, while this activity still has a long way to go, with multiple opportunities to make our case to lawmakers ... we are entering a key part of the process.Another excellent opportunity to reinforce our messages will be at the <a href="/education-events/2025-aha-annual-membership-meeting" target="_blank" title="AHA Annual Membership Meeting">AHA’s Annual Membership Meeting</a> May 4-6 in Washington, D.C.&nbsp; At the meeting, attendees will hear from top policymakers, legislators and thought leaders on the most pressing issues facing our field and our country. They’ll also be able to deliver our advocacy messages on key priorities directly to their lawmakers on Capitol Hill.In addition to rejecting cuts to Medicaid, we’ll be discussing, among other priorities, extending the enhanced premium tax credits that expire at the end of this year so millions of low- and middle-income individuals can purchase affordable private insurance on the health care exchanges; protecting the 340B Drug Pricing Program that requires drug companies to provide certain hospitals with discounted prices when buying outpatient medicines; and preventing so-called Medicare site-neutral payment policies, which if implemented would reduce access to critical health care services, especially in rural and other underserved communities.With so much at stake in the coming weeks and months, speaking out often and with a unified message is critical. Let’s make sure our lawmakers hear from all of us about the indispensable role hospitals play in their communities and why we must protect access to 24/7 care for patients across America.&nbsp; Fri, 28 Mar 2025 08:27:51 -0500 Access & Health Coverage A Full Court Press to Protect Access to Care for Patients and Communities /news/perspective/2025-02-28-full-court-press-protect-access-care-patients-and-communities With March kicking off tomorrow, we’re approaching March Madness when college basketball teams across the country compete in the annual tournament that often is full of twists, turns and surprises.&nbsp;On Capitol Hill, we’re facing our own March Madness. Congress must act by March 14 to fund the government, and there’s no agreement on how to do that yet. As part of the process, by the end of March, Congress must address several expiring health care provisions, including preventing Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment cuts; extending enhanced low-volume adjustment and Medicare-dependent hospital programs; and extending telehealth and hospital-at-home waivers.At the same time, House and Senate Republicans continue to move forward with their <a href="/issue-landing-page/2025-02-07-budget-reconciliation-process-resource-page" target="_blank">budget reconciliation</a>&nbsp;frameworks that could have significant implications for hospitals and patients’ access to care. The House this week narrowly passed its budget resolution that calls for $2 trillion in spending cuts, many of which could impact Medicaid and other key health care programs. The Senate last week adopted its own&nbsp;budget resolution&nbsp;focusing on the border, military and energy.While these actions are significant, both chambers must pass a common budget resolution to move forward with the reconciliation process, so in basketball terms, we’re still in the first half of the game with lots of time for action.The focus now turns to House-Senate negotiations, the next step in this process, as both chambers must agree to common language and goals. They remain far apart on several key issues, and we anticipate strenuous back and forth over elements that include making President Trump’s tax cuts permanent and pulling back some of the House’s proposed deep spending cuts in programs like Medicaid.Where lawmakers will land on a budget is far from settled and the stakes for patient access to care are high. In baseball terms, we’re at the start of the second inning, and AHA needs your voice turned up more than ever as we continue to engage with key stakeholders in the Administration, House and Senate to educate them on the serious impact any cuts to Medicaid and other programs will have on patients and communities.<h2>AHA Resources and Advocacy Day</h2>The AHA is continuing its full court press urging lawmakers to extend the health care provisions expected to expire next month and protect hospital care and programs that patients rely on, including Medicaid. We also are hosting a March 4 Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., during which hospital and health system leaders will get a briefing on the latest updates and then meet with their lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill. Please see our recent <a href="/action-alert/2025-02-07-contact-your-lawmakers-and-urge-them-extend-key-health-care-policies-set-expire-next-month" target="_blank" title="AHA Action Alert">AHA Action Alert</a> for key advocacy messages and resources that can assist you in conversations with your lawmakers.<h2>Coalition Advertising and Digital Resources</h2>Meanwhile, the <a href="https://strengthenhealthcare.org/" target="_blank">Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare</a>, of which the AHA is a founding member, has launched a multimedia advertising campaign, highlighting Medicaid’s critical impact on more than 72 million Americans who rely on the program for access to&nbsp;care.The ad campaign features a new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRVxw6uJ2sc" target="_blank" title="Faces of Medicaid TV Commercial">television commercial, “Faces of Medicaid</a>,” warning of potentially devastating cuts to Medicaid and urging Congress to protect Medicaid and ensure access to care for patients.The power of stories is central to our message. Lawmakers need to hear specific examples about the dire impact on their communities of potential cuts to Medicaid, which could undermine the entire health care system. They need to hear how the cuts could affect Medicaid and non-Medicaid patients alike, including facility and service closures, increased costs to the private sector, states raising taxes to cover the shortfall, and increased access issues for everyone when emergency departments jam up because that is the only place people can turn to for care.Part of this effort is also making certain elected officials are aware of the faces and names that are impacted, including children, veterans and hardworking Americans.The commercial is running on TV nationally, in Washington, D.C., and in other targeted markets. The ad campaign also includes digital targeting of key elected officials, as well as publications inside the Beltway and influential new media outlets.In addition to the advertising campaign, the Coalition has developed and shared <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRNuvabV4VqmE5lPufY2EFML5pL7wGwNxhVzs9SvitQ/edit" target="_blank" title="Digital Resources">digital resources</a> that hospitals and health systems can use as part of their advocacy efforts to protect Medicaid. And the Coalition is engaging its more than 2.6 million advocates in grassroots activities with legislators across the country.&nbsp;<h2>Your Voice Is Critical</h2>We’ve seen time and time again that lawmakers listen most to the people who live, work and vote in their districts.&nbsp;With such tight margins in the House and the Senate, it’s clear that every lawmaker’s vote is crucial. That means it’s more important than ever that our field speaks loudly and frequently about the need to protect access to 24/7 hospital care for our friends, families and neighbors.Watch for more resources and updates from the AHA during the next few weeks as together we make the case for ensuring access to care for our patients and communities. Fri, 28 Feb 2025 08:53:55 -0600 Access & Health Coverage Speaking Up for Patients and Protecting Access to Care /news/perspective/2025-02-14-speaking-patients-and-protecting-access-care One month from today — March 14 — government funding expires, and congressional action is needed to keep the government running. At the end of March, several key health care provisions that Congress temporarily extended in the December funding bill are set to run out unless lawmakers act.At the same time, House and Senate Republicans continue moving forward on plans to use the budget reconciliation process — a tool that gives Congress a fast-track mechanism to avoid the Senate filibuster and pass legislation with a simple majority — to push through priorities on taxes, border security, energy and deficit reduction. As part of these efforts, they are considering proposals that would reduce funding for hospital care, including significant reductions to the <a href="/press-releases/2025-02-12-aha-statement-congressional-budget-resolution-deliberations" target="_blank">Medicaid program</a>, jeopardizing access to the 24/7 care and services that hospitals provide.All of these issues, as well the need for Congress to raise the debt ceiling in the coming months, are heating up, and it’s more important than ever for hospitals and health systems to engage with their federal lawmakers and urge them to protect access to 24/7 hospital care for patients across America.Last week, we released an <a href="/action-alert/2025-02-07-contact-your-lawmakers-and-urge-them-extend-key-health-care-policies-set-expire-next-month" target="_blank" title="AHA Action Alert">Action Alert</a> that provides a number of new advocacy resources on key issues — health care extenders, Medicaid, enhanced premium tax credits, so-called site-neutral payment proposals and the 340B Drug Pricing Program — that support your advocacy efforts with your lawmakers.For the key health care extenders that need to be enacted by the end of next month, please ask your senators and representatives to prevent Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment cuts from taking effect; extend enhanced low-volume adjustment and Medicare-dependent hospital programs that expand access to care in rural areas; and extend telehealth and hospital-at-home waivers.In your discussions with your legislators, please continue to share the valuable role your hospital or health system plays for their constituents in the community they represent and urge them to support policies to advance health and reject cuts that would jeopardize access to hospital care and services that patients rely on.Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare. While you deliver these important messages to your lawmakers and the AHA makes the case in Washington, please know that the <a href="https://strengthenhealthcare.org/" target="_blank" title="Coalition to Strengthen America&apos;s Healthcare ">Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare</a> is ramping up its efforts to protect Medicaid and Medicare funding for hospital care. The Coalition, of which the AHA is a founding member, has more than 2.6 million advocates who will be engaging in grassroots activities with their legislators across the country. In addition, the Coalition will be running national and targeted multimedia campaigns highlighting the need to protect access to care and services for patients.&nbsp; With much at stake in coming weeks and months, it is vital that we continue to face health care’s challenges together, speaking as one voice to protect the blue and white “H” as a beacon of healing, hope and health in every community nationwide.Watch for more Action Alerts and resources from the AHA to assist your advocacy efforts as we work together to advance health in America. Fri, 14 Feb 2025 08:35:38 -0600 Access & Health Coverage "The Case for Change": Addressing New York’s Health Care Challenges /advancing-health-podcast/2025-02-10-case-change-addressing-new-yorks-health-care-challenges Key findings from a report titled "The Case for Change" have identified four drivers of some of the most pressing challenges facing health care in New York state. In this conversation, Bea Grause, R.N., J.D., president of the Healthcare Association of New York State, discusses the tough findings and partnerships needed to solve these problems, insights into the correlation between health care and legislative advocacy, and how the report’s learnings are translatable to states around the country.<hr><div></div><hr><div class="raw-html-embed"> <details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> View Transcript &nbsp; </h2> </summary> 00:00:01:07 - 00:00:21:05 Tom Haederle Welcome to Advancing Health. Coming up in today's episode, a conversation with Bea Grause, president of the Health Care Association of New York State, about the drivers that have health care in the Empire State perched on the edge of - quote - an existential cliff. We'll talk about what can be done and what the rest of the country can learn from how New York is handling its health care challenges. 00:00:21:08 - 00:00:29:27 Tom Haederle Your host today is yours truly. I'm Tom Haederle, senior communication specialist with the AHA. 00:00:30:00 - 00:00:45:26 Tom Haederle Bea, thank you so much for joining me this morning. Really appreciate your time. And, appreciate your effort in helping our listeners get into what Billy Joel might call a New York State of Mind about what health care challenges and the most effective ways to address them. So welcome. And thank you for being here. 00:00:45:29 - 00:00:46:27 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. Thank you, Tom. 00:00:47:00 - 00:01:05:26 Tom Haederle You really are so well qualified to assess the challenges of today's health care from so many angles. And I'd like to just briefly share with our Advancing Health friends a little bit about your background so they know you know where you're coming from. You began your career as a nurse, an RN. You have done time on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide. 00:01:05:29 - 00:01:26:11 Tom Haederle I know you're a veteran of senior positions with two other state health associations, Vermont and Massachusetts. You're a former member of AHA's board of trustees - thank you for your service. You also found time along the way to earn a law degree. So you've been a very accomplished person. And now, of course, you're president of one of the largest and most influential health care associations in the country. 00:01:26:13 - 00:01:44:01 Tom Haederle And really, the purpose of our discussion today is, to discuss the concern that you and many other people have about what you see happening in New York State that's led to the production of "The Case for Change," this this new report that's kind of - frankly, a punch in the gut when it comes to - in terms of shaking things up and speaking 00:01:44:02 - 00:01:55:09 Tom Haederle very candidly about some of the problems that the state is facing, what needs to be done. So let's start there. What is happening in New York state that prompted the release of The Case for Change? 00:01:55:12 - 00:02:23:02 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. Sure. I think what is happening, really was the post-pandemic reality. We realized that state and federal lawmakers wanted to move on from the pandemic. And our members - and this was true for members, for hospitals and health systems across the country - they hadn't moved on. They were not able to move on from the pandemic. The workforce shortage that was beginning to emerge, exacerbated during the pandemic. 00:02:23:03 - 00:02:55:10 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. It's now a chronic national workforce shortage. As a nurse, I recognized that demographically, New York had an aging population, which, again, I know is happening in many other states, not all, but many other states across the country. And we wanted to understand that environment better, what was actually happening at the core? Because at the core of health care, I understood, is you have patients and you have people taking care of patients. 00:02:55:13 - 00:03:33:00 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. And we knew that we were facing a crisis in both the demographics and who was able to take care of the increasing and changing demand that we saw happening and our members saw happening every day. That's why we did the report, was really to better understand that environment. And it has really helped us in creating a narrative that cuts through all the clutter and gets to a common set of facts where, rather than talking about, you know, this is, you know, a sophisticated podcast. 00:03:33:00 - 00:04:08:13 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. So rather than continuing to talk about all the symptoms of what's wrong with our system: 343B crisis, site neutral, all of the many, many, many issues that are very confusing to lawmakers, very confusing to us. You know, we're the experts in that space. And to patients and to consumers and to businesses completely impenetrable. We began this report with looking at demographic data on patients who were currently using hospitals and post-acute care 00:04:08:15 - 00:04:38:13 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. now and ten years out into the future. That was our starting place and then obviously looked at workforce data as well. And that really helped us to create the narrative that patient demand was increasing and changing. We didn't have the right number or the right type of health care worker to meet that demand. We had consistent and long standing disparities in care, urban rural poverty, haves and have nots, both on the provider space as well as the patient space. 00:04:38:15 - 00:05:13:27 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. And all of that was leading to unaffordability at every level. At the government level, at the business level and the consumer level. And without resolution in those four areas, that is the tipping point or the existential cliff that will cause our system to fail. Everything else is a symptom. We're trying to make it more understandable as well as more compelling, not just to all of us who understand all the nouns and verbs in health care, but to lawmakers and consumers and others. 00:05:14:00 - 00:05:35:14 Tom Haederle Of the four drivers that you just outlined: health care demand is growing. Health disparities persist. Affordability, and lack of enough workers to provide the care that really is ever-growing. Of those four, is there one that is - they're all important - but is there one that's primary concern, that really needs the most urgent attention? 00:05:35:16 - 00:06:16:12 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. I'm going to stick with demand. Because as a clinician, to me, demand drives everything. And you'll see in that report, as I often say, there's not a HANYS ten point plan on how to fix our health care system. It's not designed for that. It is designed to, again, put out a common set of facts to bring people together, particularly, you know, for here in New York, lawmakers and others, other stakeholders to talk about what are some of the strategic things that we need to begin to work on in order to solve some of these much more difficult problems that are not being talked about or not being understood and then therefore not being resolved. 00:06:16:15 - 00:06:54:10 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. So to me, the most important one is demand. And I'll just use New York for a second. In five years we are going to have 700,000 new, net new, senior citizens in New York State. And you know, I think, as you well know, the per capita spending for senior citizens increases as people age. And so when you think about our blue H, and the brand of that blue H, I always think about that from a patient perspective as the only open door. 00:06:54:12 - 00:07:21:18 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. So if you have other open doors to get health care in a community, you will use them. But if there are none, you will go into that blue H. And if you have a medical need at any point you will go through that hospital door and then your care journey will begin from there. So that demand and you can you see it in the headlines with crowded emergency rooms, overload, nursing home closures, back up in the emergency room, the inability to get an appointment. 00:07:21:19 - 00:07:47:06 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. You're starting to see the overload in health care systems happening today. It is largely being driven by elderly patients coming in, not being able to get upstairs to get to a bed because there are no health care workers there, or there are 80 or 90 patients who would be better served in a nursing home and cannot be discharged because there's no nursing home bed. 00:07:47:09 - 00:08:12:06 Tom Haederle And what is the role of community collaboration and partnership in addressing that particular problem? And frankly, all four drivers. I know one of the key takeaways of the report is that it's a joint effort that involves many different partners. And if you could talk a little bit about finding the right organizations to work with and who needs to lead that discussion, and what comes out of having these collaborative partnerships underway? 00:08:12:09 - 00:08:51:18 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. There are no right or wrong organizations that we're looking at. We're talking to other provider groups, businesses, unions. Using The Case for Change report to try to get a common understanding on the core facts and the core reasons for why our health care system is beginning to fail. And that collaboration is essential when you think about politics, state politics in this case, because you need to have, at least in New York, it is much better to get initiatives over the legislative finish line if you have a coalition, formal or informal. 00:08:51:24 - 00:09:02:01 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. But if you have broad based support, in other words, for an initiative for that year is a priority to try to get enacted. 00:09:02:03 - 00:09:07:25 Tom Haederle Is there consensus around what we need to do in New York right now, or you feel or do you feel like you're getting there? 00:09:07:27 - 00:09:34:24 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. I feel like we're getting there. I have two examples. One is in the workforce space and the other is in the governor's budget, which our budget cycle has just begun. And we've been talking all year with Governor Hochul on using the case for change. And talking about the challenges that the state of New York faces with an aging population and a workforce shortage, primarily. 00:09:34:24 - 00:09:58:09 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. And, as you may know, I mean, the state of New York is already beginning to try to address disparities in care with the recent 1115 waiver. But certainly affordability is a huge problem for the state of New York. And helping them to understand that demand is going to increase for the next 25 years. The aging population will increase. 00:09:58:12 - 00:10:46:28 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. And it's not a question of if patients are going to need care, it's when and how much and where are they going to get that care. And if there's a mismatch between the capacity or the workforce gap gets worse, the cost to the state gets higher. And those kind of related messages, case for change related messages, were all part of our narrative with the governor all during last year. And in her budget and her state of the state, she did take a more strategic view, adopting many of those concepts in her budget and in her message to fund hospitals and nursing homes, but also for other across the continuum, continue to invest in workforce, 00:10:47:01 - 00:11:12:25 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. but also invest in capital so that more sites of care can be provided upstream or, you know, pre-hospital, so that patients are actually getting care outside of the hospital where they need to get care, and decreasing that expensive demand on hospital and post-acute services. So we were very pleased to see more strategic framing with the governor. So that's example number one. 00:11:12:25 - 00:11:48:06 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. Example number two is in workforce. As an advocacy organization where we are particularly and more externally or visibly focused on reaching out to other stakeholders to work on a whole host of workforce initiatives that are designed to recruit new workers, retain workers, eliminate the bottleneck in terms of not enough, faculty for, as one example, helping various health professions expand, work up to their full license. 00:11:48:09 - 00:12:01:29 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. And all of that is designed to close that gap in health care workers, particularly in the post-acute space, which hopefully will improve capacity. But it will help to bend that expense growth curve. 00:12:02:02 - 00:12:21:12 Tom Haederle As we wrap up, we're almost at the end of our time, let me ask this. The concepts that are presented in The Case for Change, how translatable are they, would you say, to other systems because the four drivers that you've mentioned facing New York's system really can be found to a greater or lesser degree in every health system in the country. 00:12:21:12 - 00:13:11:18 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. 100% translatable. I mean, just imagine, Tom, if there were a case for change narratives, rather than having lawmakers and others confused around 50 different issues where you have different groups, one side opposes, the other supports, lawmakers cannot break through that noise. And I've talked to many lawmakers who find health care impossibly confusing. So I think having this common set of facts that are based in what we all care about, that we have access to care that someone's going to be there to take care of us, that we're helping communities and individuals who don't have access to care, and that we're trying to make health care more affordable over time. 00:13:11:21 - 00:13:38:23 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. That is a narrative that I think we can all relate to. And I think when people understand and look at the details in the report and again, anybody who wants to take that report and make it, you know, it's open source, take it and build on that narrative. But if we were all and when I say we, but if providers across the continuum, providers in other states or associations in other states were using that, I call it a patient forward-narrative, 00:13:38:23 - 00:14:15:20 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. and framing it that way, lawmakers would then begin to think that way. Because if they if that's all they're hearing and they're hearing that consistent message: We're concerned about access. We're concerned about ED overloading. We're concerned about a workforce shortage. We want to make sure, we think it makes good economic sense to provide health care to underserved communities. If they're hearing those messages consistently and have written documents and written reports and other information to help them to understand that, and it will start to make sense to them. 00:14:15:22 - 00:14:34:20 Tom Haederle That is a great summation. Thank you so much. You have been listening to us discuss a new report called The Case for Change. This has, come from the Health Care Association of New York State. Thanks again, Bea. Really appreciate your time. And good luck with making progress on the changes facing New York State right now. 00:14:34:23 - 00:14:39:04 Bea Grause, R.N., J.D. Thank you, Tom, so much. This has been such a great conversation. 00:14:39:07 - 00:14:47:13 Tom Haederle Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. </details> </div> Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:36:45 -0600 Access & Health Coverage Rural hospital’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare program closes care gaps /role-hospitals-monadnock-community-hospital-rural-hospitals-mobile-integrated-healthcare-program-closes-care-gaps <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-6"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-02/THS-Monadnock-MIH-team-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Monadnock Community Hospital’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) team" width="700" height="532">MIH team at Monadnock Community Hospital (Photo courtesy of MCH)</div>Monadnock Community Hospital’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program is closing care gaps in the rural community of Peterborough, N.H., and the eastern Monadnock region. The 25-bed critical access hospital launched MIH in 2020, and the team now includes two board-certified community paramedics who provide care in patients’ homes, plus a project manager, dispatcher and medical director. Patients give the MIH program high marks for quality of care, promptness, ease of scheduling, and respect and compassion shown by the providers.As a hospital-based program, the MIH team at MCH offers health care services beyond those provided by a traditional paramedic. The MCH community paramedics collect all types of laboratory specimens, place Foley catheters, address wound care, evaluate home safety, provide health education, administer immunizations and medications, and manage medical equipment needed for chronic health issues. The team also can help facilitate a patient’s telehealth visit with their primary care physician — “being [the PCP’s] eyes, ears and hands” — by obtaining vital signs, laboratory samples and other information that a standard telehealth visit doesn’t provide.The hospital emphasizes its MIH program is “not a substitute for home health care, emergency medical services or any other service” available in the community. Instead, the team works in collaboration with those organizations “to ensure services are not duplicated and to prevent gaps within services.”Another part of the MIH program at MCH is <a href="https://monadnockcommunityhospital.com/services/mobile-integrated-healthcare-mih/cradle-monadnock/" target="_blank">Cradle Monadnock</a>, launching in 2025. Anyone giving birth at MCH is automatically enrolled in this program but can opt out anytime. The MIH team makes pre- and post-delivery home visits to evaluate the health of the mother and newborn, connect families to essential community resources and social support, and offer practical advice and health education — such as discussing safe sleeping practices for babies and age-appropriate development — all of which helps parents “navigate the challenges of early parenthood.”<a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://monadnockcommunityhospital.com/services/mobile-integrated-healthcare-mih/">LEARN MORE</a></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/community-benefit">Benefiting Communities</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:00:54 -0600 Access & Health Coverage Administration rescinds memo pausing federal grants, loans and other financial assistance programs /news/headline/2025-01-30-administration-rescinds-memo-pausing-federal-grants-loans-and-other-financial-assistance-programs The White House Office of Management and Budget Jan. 29 rescinded a <a href="https://sponsors.aha.org/rs/710-ZLL-651/images/01282025_omb-memo-on-federal-aid-freeze.pdf?version=0" title="aid freeze">memo</a> it issued two days earlier directing federal agencies to temporarily pause federal grants, loans and other financial assistance programs implicated by President Trump’s recent executive orders.&nbsp;Following the rescission of the memo, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “This is NOT a recission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a recission of the OMB memo…the President’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/omb-q-a-regarding-memorandum-m-25-13/" title="fed funding">EO’s on federal funding</a> remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented.”&nbsp;The Jan. 27 OMB memo that has been rescinded directed federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The pause was not going to affect Social Security, Medicare benefits, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/omb-q-a-regarding-memorandum-m-25-13/" title="medicaid">Medicaid</a> or “assistance provided directly to individuals.”&nbsp;A federal judge in Washington, D.C., had temporarily halted the pause shortly before it was set to take effect on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. ET.&nbsp;In a separate court case brought by some Democratic attorneys general, U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell said Jan. 29 that even though the OMB memo had been rescinded he was considering blocking the freeze, according to reports. “I fear … that the administration is acting with a distinction without a difference.” Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:07:12 -0600 Access & Health Coverage A Year of Action to Ensure Access to Care and Advance Health in America /news/perspective/2025-01-24-year-action-ensure-access-care-and-advance-health-america All eyes this week have been on Washington, D.C., as President Trump was inaugurated and the 119th Congress — with Republicans holding majorities in the House and the Senate — beginning its legislative work.As always with a change of administration and congressional leadership, there are new opportunities to explore and new challenges to navigate.Administration and congressional leaders continue to plot out their legislative strategy for funding the federal government, which must occur by March 14; raising the debt ceiling; and using reconciliation — a budget tool that gives Congress a&nbsp;fast-track mechanism to avoid the Senate filibuster and pass legislation with a simple majority — to push through priorities on taxes, border security, energy and deficit reduction.All of these instances will provide opportunities to go on offense and advocate for priorities that support hospitals’ ability to deliver quality care their communities depend on. At the same time, these instances present significant challenges that will require us&nbsp; to play defense&nbsp; so&nbsp; we can preserve access to the 24/7 care hospitals provide for patients and communities.For example, on offense we’re advocating to extend the Marketplace Premium Tax Credits to ensure millions of Americans can continue to access health insurance; boost programs that support access to care in rural communities; and provide relief from burdensome policies that take caregivers away from providing patient care and increase costs. On defense, among other issues, we’ll need to prevent significant reductions to Medicaid and Medicare funding that would jeopardize access to hospital care and services; protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program from harmful changes; and preserve not-for-profit hospitals’ tax-exempt status so they can continue providing community benefits tailored to their communities’ unique needs.You can find out more about all of these issues and others as part of AHA’s recently released <a href="/advocacy-agenda" target="_blank" title="AHA Advocacy Agenda">Advocacy Agenda</a>.&nbsp;While activity on Capitol Hill is expected to be fast and furious during the next few months, here are three things hospital and health system leaders can do to ensure our field’s voices are heard.<ol><li>Stay engaged with the AHA and Coalition. The AHA will be providing hospital and health system leaders timely alerts and information on the latest developments from Capitol Hill, as well as new advocacy tools and resources to help you tell your story. In addition, the <a href="https://strengthenhealthcare.org" target="_blank" title="Coalition to Strengthen America&apos;s Healthcare">Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare</a>, of which the AHA is a founding member, will be running advertising on key issues, as well as engaging its more than 2.6 million grassroots supporters to take action.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li><li>Tell your story to your lawmakers. While the AHA and Coalition provide the air cover here in Washington, nothing is more powerful than your voice — and the voices of your team members, trustees, patients and community members — with your senators and representatives. You live, work and, most importantly, vote in their districts and states. You have their attention and can explain to them the impact policy proposals would have for their constituents and your ability to provide care.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li><li>Remain united as a field. While there will be many legislative proposals that come out during the next few weeks and months, it’s more important than ever that our field remains united. We’ve seen time and time again when our field speaks with a strong, united and collective voice — policymakers and lawmakers hear us. And we get results.</li></ol>We may be living in unpredictable times, but one thing that is predictable — and will never change — is that hospitals will always be a source of health, healing and hope. Hospitals always will be focused on providing life-saving care to anyone who walks through their doors as well as promoting wellness. And hospitals will always be cornerstones of the communities they serve as we work together to advance health in America. Fri, 24 Jan 2025 08:37:32 -0600 Access & Health Coverage