Letters

Responding to a Senate Finance Committee request for solutions to address poor maternal health outcomes, AHA suggested several specific actions that could be taken at the federal level, from expanding Medicaid in non-expansion states and extending postpartum coverage for women enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP to requiring state Medicaid programs to cover telemedicine for maternal care.

the American Hospital Association appreciates the variety of just-enacted statutory and regulatory efforts to assist our country’s health care organizations. Hospitals and health systems are on the frontline of the fight to protect potentially millions of citizens against the ravages of the COVID-19 virus, while continuing to meet the ongoing health needs of their communities. The financial and operational needs of hospitals and health systems at this time and in the near future are and will remain enormous, and must be addressed if our health care system is to survive and continue its central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our nation.

AHA asked SBA to waive regulations that would prevent hospitals and health systems with a prior loss to the government (including bankruptcy) from being eligible for these loans.

The AHA urged leaders from the nation’s five largest private health insurance companies – Aetna, Anthem, Humana, Cigna and UnitedHealthCare – and organizations that represent insurers (America’s Health Insurance Plans and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) to join hospitals and health systems to “meet the historic challenge” caused by COVID-19.

A letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency from the AHA, American Medical Association, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and Association for Clinical Oncology asking the agency to allow drug manufacturers and 503B outsourcing facilities to receive increased annual production quota controlled-substance allocations during the COVID-19 crisis.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) asks the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to directly and expediently distribute to rural and urban hospitals and health systems funds from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund that were designated for providers in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.   

In a letter to Secretary Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Rettig, the AHA, AAMC and Catholic Health Association request that the IRS provide a six-month automatic extension for filing Forms 990, 990-T, and 4720 to any Section 501(c)(3) organization that is required to file Form 990, Schedule H. In addition, the organizations recommended that the IRS not impose any penalties if any hospital facilities operated by the section 501(c)(3) organization required to file Schedule H are delayed up to one year in completing a community health needs assessment or implementation plan.

In a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma regarding the expansion of Medicare’s accelerated payment program and creation of an add-on payment for Medicare patients with COVID-19, the AHA urges the agency to provide as much flexibility as possible with implementation in order to maximize the program’s effectiveness in supporting providers during the crisis related to COVID-19

At the American Hospital Association our top concern is the health and safety of patients and the physicians, nurses and clinicians who care for them.

The AHA urges the Department of Health and Human Services to clarify its and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act waivers issued under the public health and national emergency declarations. These declarations allow waivers consistent with section 1135 of the Social Security Act.