fah hospital policy blog

Hospitals and health systems want to protect their patients from surprise bills. Consumers, health insurers, employers, and hospitals all agree on that and need to find a common ground solution.

Inadequate health plan provider networks that limit patient access to emergency care is one of the root causes of surprise bills. Patients should be confident that they can seek immediate lifesaving care at any hospital.

The hospital community wants to ensure that patients are protected from surprise gaps in coverage that result in surprise bills, and we look forward to working with policymakers to achieve this goal.

Too many elements of the Administration’s report resort to the same old bromides that got us here in the first place, and would reverse the progress hospitals and others are hard at work on.

The FAH shares the Administration’s goal to improve choice and competition for patients. We support several specific recommendations regarding the benefits of telehealth and streamlining quality measurement programs. And we agree that a more engaged consumer is key to driving value.

FAH President and CEO Chip Kahn released the following statement in support of the bipartisan Nurse WIN Act, S.3685, which was introduced today by Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Doug Jones (D-AL): “Loan repayment incentives can provide new nursing graduates the freedom to choose the communities they think they can serve best. In many areas grappling with staffing shortages, it’s a struggle to attract critically needed nurses. It is essential that nurses have a level playing field to take advantage of much deserved federal loan repayment incentives to serve any qualified critical shortage facility.

Reps. Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Tom Reed (NY-23), and Glenn Thompson (PA-05) recently submitted statements to the Congressional Records recognizing the importance of our country’s rural hospitals from coast to coast.