Medicare
It is important to engage with your lawmakers while they are home and discuss the impact that the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act and additional policy proposals that are under consideration will have on hospitals鈥 ability to provide care.
The AHA is disappointed that CMS proposes an inadequate Medicare outpatient hospital payment update, as many hospitals 鈥 especially those in rural and underserved communities 鈥 operate under challenging financial pressures.
The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act will bring big changes to health care. AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack joined me for a Leadership Dialogue conversation earlier this month to talk about the key provisions that apply to health care. If you missed that episode, you can watch the鈥
Fact Sheet: Rural Hospital Support Act (S. 335) and the Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act
Medicare pays most acute-care hospitals under the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS). Some of these hospitals receive additional support from Medicare to help address potential financial challenges associated with being rural, geographically isolated and low volume.These programs are鈥
The AHA today expressed support for the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act, a bill that would eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services for Medicare patients.
CMS July 14 issued a proposed rule that would update physician fee schedule (PFS) payments for calendar year (CY) 2026.
The AHA July 8 wrote in opposition to the 鈥淧atient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act鈥 (H.R. 4002), which would repeal current law banning the creation and limiting the expansion of physician-owned hospitals.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced it has identified a fraud scheme targeting Medicare providers and suppliers.
A report released June 17 by NORC at the University of Chicago, commissioned by the Coalition to Strengthen America鈥檚 Healthcare, found that patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans are more likely to experience longer hospital stays and experience delays in transfer to post-acute care鈥
The AHA commented to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services June 10 on the fiscal year 2026 inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule (/news/headline/2025-04-11-cms-issues-hospital-ipps-proposed-rule-fy-2026), expressing support for several provisions,鈥