Member
Crucial issues for hospitals and health systems are on Congress鈥 agenda
Affordability is one of the most important factors affecting Americans鈥 ability to access health care.
Held August 29, 2019
Regulatory Advisory
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Recent articles in both national and local media have again put hospital billing and collection practices into the spotlight. The AHA continues to encourage all member hospitals and health systems to review their policies and procedures, and how they are presented to patients and the public. As鈥
The Issue
鈥淢edicare for All鈥 these days 鈥 a catch-all label that has become a part of the political dialogue 鈥 represents a variety of health coverage proposals that would do everything from establish a national health insurance program with no competition to create a public, Medicare-like option鈥
Some policymakers have expressed interest in 鈥渘etwork matching鈥 as a solution to surprise medical bills. To date, the only proposal defining such an approach, which was ultimately rejected, was included in the discussion draft of the Senate HELP Committee鈥檚 鈥淟ower Health Care Costs Act.鈥
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee June 19 introduced the Lower Health Care Costs Act (S.1895), legislation to prevent surprise medical bills, reduce prescription drug prices, improve transparency in health care, invest in public health and improve health information鈥
The House Energy and Commerce Committee in July passed legislation, The No Surprises Act (H.R. 2328), to prevent surprise medical bills.
AHA Ask: Policymakers should focus on assisting rural hospitals in their negotiations with payers and providing the incentives and resources needed to maintain鈥
In this edition of Hacking Healthcare, we continue the discussion on biometric data by looking at an Australian wrongful dismissal case.