ROCHELLE ARCHULETA

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support HR 1319, American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, This bill provides additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses and more money for the Provider Relief Fund in the reconciliation bill, sequester relief, and advanced Medicare payment loan relief; Continue to monitor the FY 2021 budget to prevent or minimize hospital cuts; Urged the Senate to pass legislation that would stop Medicare cuts to hospitals, physicians and other providers from going into effect early next year. The bill would extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequester cuts until April 1, 2022, reduce the cuts from 2% to 1% from April 1 through June 30, 2022, and stop the 4% statutory Pay-As-You-Go sequester from taking effect early next year. Other provisions in the package would mitigate a separate Medicare payment cut to physicians; delay payment cuts and private payer data reporting requirements for certain hospital laboratories; delay the implementation of the radiation oncology model; and set up a fast-track process in the Senate to allow for a vote to increase the debt limit; Submitted a COVID Relief letter as part of negotiations surrounding an omnibus budget agreement, expressing the need of additional immediate support from Congress and the Administration in order to continue standing strong and to be able to provide timely access to life-saving health care and important programs to assist hospitals and health systems - Provider Relief Fund, Medicare sequester relief, Medicare accelerated and advance payments, 340B hospital eligibility; Letters to House and Senate Labor / HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs and Rankings on appropriations priorities regarding funding for health care programs for fiscal year (FY) 2023. We asked to give favorable consideration to funding for health care programs that have proven successful in improving access to quality health care for patients and communities across America; Letter to House and Senate appropriators in support of increased funding for the Childrens Hospitals GME program for FY 2023.

Support HR 1319, American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, This bill provides additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses and more money for the Provider Relief Fund in the reconciliation bill, sequester relief, and advanced Medicare payment loan relief; Continue to monitor the FY 2021 budget to prevent or minimize hospital cuts; Urged the Senate to pass legislation that would stop Medicare cuts to hospitals, physicians and other providers from going into effect early next year. The bill would extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequester cuts until April 1, 2022, reduce the cuts from 2% to 1% from April 1 through June 30, 2022, and stop the 4% statutory Pay-As-You-Go sequester from taking effect early next year. Other provisions in the package would mitigate a separate Medicare payment cut to physicians; delay payment cuts and private payer data reporting requirements for certain hospital laboratories; delay the implementation of the radiation oncology model; and set up a fast-track process in the Senate to allow for a vote to increase the debt limit; Submitted a COVID Relief letter as part of negotiations surrounding an omnibus budget agreement, expressing the need of additional immediate support from Congress and the Administration in order to continue standing strong and to be able to provide timely access to life-saving health care and important programs to assist hospitals and health systems - Provider Relief Fund, Medicare sequester relief, Medicare accelerated and advance payments, 340B hospital eligibility.

Support HR 1319, American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, This bill provides additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses and more money for the Provider Relief Fund in the reconciliation bill, sequester relief, and advanced Medicare payment loan relief; Continue to monitor the FY 2021 budget to prevent or minimize hospital cuts; Urged the Senate to pass legislation that would stop Medicare cuts to hospitals, physicians and other providers from going into effect early next year. The bill would extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequester cuts until April 1, 2022, reduce the cuts from 2% to 1% from April 1 through June 30, 2022, and stop the 4% statutory Pay-As-You-Go sequester from taking effect early next year. Other provisions in the package would mitigate a separate Medicare payment cut to physicians; delay payment cuts and private payer data reporting requirements for certain hospital laboratories; delay the implementation of the radiation oncology model; and set up a fast-track process in the Senate to allow for a vote to increase the debt limit; Submitted a COVID Relief letter as part of negotiations surrounding an omnibus budget agreement, expressing the need of additional immediate support from Congress and the Administration in order to continue standing strong and to be able to provide timely access to life-saving health care and important programs to assist hospitals and health systems - Provider Relief Fund, Medicare sequester relief, Medicare accelerated and advance payments, 340B hospital eligibility; Letters to House and Senate Labor / HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs and Rankings on appropriations priorities regarding funding for health care programs for fiscal year (FY) 2023. We asked to give favorable consideration to funding for health care programs that have proven successful in improving access to quality health care for patients and communities across America; Letter to House and Senate appropriators in support of increased funding for the Childrens Hospitals GME program for FY 2023.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans.

Support H.R. 526, Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2021, a bill to provide for special enrollment periods during public health emergencies; Letter urging Congress to provide additional funds to the Provider Relief Fund and for vaccine distribution and administration, which will allow for continued support of hospitals' COVID-19-related lost revenues, as well as additional expenses incurred due to purchasing supplies and equipment, staffing, establishing emergency testing and vaccination centers and constructing and retrofitting facilities; Support H.R. 708 and S. 168, Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act, a bill to provide temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment; Support H.R. 1306 and S. 412, National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, a bill to establish the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States; Support S. 610/ H.R. 1667, Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, a bill to address behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals; Support S. 773 a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program; Support S.834, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; Oppose H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill to direct the Secretary of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard that requires covered employers within the health care and social service industries to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan and urge the Committee on Education and Labor not to report it favorably; Support S.924 and H.R. 2130, Rural America Health Corps Act, a bill to establish a demonstration program to provide payments on eligible loans for individuals who are eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program; Discussions with ASPR about COVID-19 related medical supply and personnel shortages; Discussions with FEMA about COVID-19 public assistance funding policies; Letter asking Congress to consider an infrastructure proposal that you prioritize hospital and health system needs to ensure our nations health care system is well positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead; Support S.1512/H.R. 2903, CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to telehealth services; Support H.R. 2255/ S 1024, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, a bill to enhance our Nations nurse and physician workforce during the COVID-19 crisis by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Support S.1568, Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses (TRAIN) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Support H.R. 3203, a bill to enable certain hospitals that were participating in or applied for the drug discount program under section 340B of the Public Health Service Act prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency to temporarily maintain eligibility for such program, and for other purposes; Statement to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on "COVID-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps" urges Congress to take steps to strengthen the nations medical supply chain; Statement to Senate Committee on Finance hearing on COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned stating that these flexibilities can continue to drive significant improvements in patient care long after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and given the beneficial impact of those specific flexibilities urges Congress and the Administration to make them permanent. In addition, a second group of flexibilities will remain critically important for some time following the PHE and will require a carefully crafted phase-out plan to ensure enough time is provided for a necessary transition. Without action from Congress and the Administration prior to the termination of the PHE, we are concerned that much of the progress made because of the implementation of many of these flexibilities may be unnecessarily halted or even lost; Letter urges Senate HELP Committee to consider recommendations and prioritize programs that support the health care workforce needs of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future; Support H.R. 769/S. 1491, Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas; Support for S.1675/ H.R. 4387, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, a bill to improve maternal health; Support 1438, Opioid Workforce Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the opioid crisis; Support HR 3441,Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions to help combat the substance use disorder crisis; Support S.1810 / H.R.3541, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, a bill to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural and medically underserved communities; Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights for the hearing on Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions expressing that integration helps to ensure every community, whether rural, urban or suburban, has access to the same high standard of affordable, evidenced based care; discussions to ensure that H.R. 2547s limits on unfair practice under FDCPA for debt collectors does not inappropriately interfere with or restrict the ability of hospitals to be able to obtain payment for care provided; Support for revising/repealing changes to the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program that reduced reimbursement for provider-based RHCs; Hill outreach expressing concerns with United Healths retroactive denial of coverage for emergency-level care in facilities; Hill outreach expressing concern about CMS mid-build audit denials; Senate outreach on prior authorization legislation; Urge support for legislation/administrative action to extend the deadline to use PRF money; Urged HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied 340B Statute appropriate discounts make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve; Support S. 2304 Drug-Price Transparency for Competition Act of 2021 (DTC Act of 2021), a bill to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to require that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and biological products include an appropriate disclosure of pricing information; Support S.246/H.R.851 Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act or the FAAN Act, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to support schools of nursing in program enhancement and infrastructure modernization, increasing the number of nursing faculty and students, and for other purposes; Support S. 1568/HR 4407Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide a waiver of the cap on annual payments for nursing and allied health education payments; Comment letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommending the withdrawal of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Meeting with Department of Labor staff to discuss our concerns about the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard for occupational exposure to COVID-19; Discussion with ASPR staff overseeing the Strategic National Stockpile about their intent to procure supplies of surgical masks; Call with Senator Cassidys staff to discuss concerns about impact of FEMA COVID-19 funding of traveling nurse agencies on hospital nursing shortages; Oppose S 2428, False Claims Amendments Act of 2021A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to modify False Claims Act procedures, and for other purposes; Discussions about Provider Relief Fund - reporting on past disbursements and urging HHS to disburse remaining PRF money; Discussions about the challenges that teaching hospitals have with training the physician workforce, residency caps that limit funding for training programs, a shortage of residents pursuing primary care specialties, a growing patient pool due to the newly insured and aging of the population; Discussions about the hospital and health system priorities for infrastructure and reconciliation bills; Letter urging Congress to maintain the current legal and regulatory framework for evaluating mergers and acquisitions; Hill outreach to discuss the benefits of health care integration; Hill outreach about the negative impact of potentially anticompetitive conduct by nurse-staffing agencies; Support HR 5035/ S 2982 Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs to implement evidence-aligned practices in health care settings for the purpose of reducing the suicide rates of covered individuals, and for other purposes; Support H.R.5376 Build Back Better Act, this bill provides funding, establishes programs, and otherwise modifies provisions relating to a broad array of areas, including education, labor, child care, health care, taxes, immigration, and the environment; Discussions with members of congress about the implementation of Rural Emergency Hospital payment designation; Discussions on the No Surprises Act Implementation (surprise billing) and urging federal regulators to restore the independence of the independent dispute resolution process in the No Surprises Act Part 2 regulations; Support HR 5699 Student Assisted Vaccination Effort (SAVE) Act, a bill to expand the definition of qualified persons for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include health professional students; Support S 2873 Preventing and Addressing Trauma with Health Services Act (PATHS Act), a bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs and activities to increase access to high-quality culturally competent trauma support and mental health care; Letter urging HRSA to delay proposals to withdraw certain HPSAs; Support S 3497 and HR 6397, Medical Student Education Authorization Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to award grants to public institutions of higher education located in a covered State; Support HR 6279 and S 3629, Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2022, a bill to authorize a study on certain exemptions for treatment of opioid use disorder through opioid treatment programs during the COVID-19 public health emergency; Support HR 5703 and S 3677, Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide professional counseling services to victims of emergencies declared under such Act; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Pandemic Profiteers: Legislation to Stop Corporate Price Gouging regarding concerns about anticompetitive conduct on the part of health care staffing agencies, some of which have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; Submitted a statement on the hearing for Americas Mental Health Crisis and supports additional approaches to help ensure improved access to needed comprehensive, affordable and quality behavioral health services; Provide comments to the Affordability Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force expressing our shared focus with Congress on providing relief from the pandemic, ensuring a smooth recovery and rebuilding a better health care system for the future, all while continuing to support efforts to promote greater affordability and value to patients and the health care system; Submitted statement on the hearing for Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage about the challenges ahead and the need to examine Americas health care workforce shortage. We must work together to solve these issues so that our nations hospitals and health systems can continue to care for the patients and communities they serve; Submitted statement on the hearing for Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part II - Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care examines ways to protect the mental health of our nations youth; Submitted statement on the hearing for Exploring Pathways to Affordable, Universal Health Coverage Care expressing the need to build upon and improve our existing system to increase access to coverage of comprehensive health benefits; Submitted a letter to provide information regarding the challenges facing Americas health care workforce as the country enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic; Provided comments to the Modernization Subcommittee of the Healthy Future Task Force urging Congress to consider how to ensure the telehealth flexibilities could remain in place for patients and health care providers beyond the PHE; Support HR 7053 and S 3792, Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend acute hospital care at home waiver flexibilities; Support resolution, H. Res. 909, Expressing support for healthcare personnel and condemning assaults on healthcare personnel as the U.S. healthcare system faces unprecedented staffing shortages and increased workplace-related stressors; Letter urges Congress to provide immediate additional support for hospitals and health systems serving their communities during this unprecedented public health crisis. While the support Congress has provided during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped hospitals care for their patients and communities, there is still a significant need for financial support and relief as COVID-19 challenges persist; Support S 3904, Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Letter urging OSHA to extend the comment deadline for the rule making on the occupational exposure to COVID-19 in healthcare settings by at least an additional 30 days, through May 23; Meeting with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) at HHS to discuss the widespread blood shortages in the U.S. and next steps; Stakeholder calls with HHS ASPR regarding the distribution/administration of COVID-19 therapeutics; Discussions on S 571, Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, a bill to fully fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund and reaffirm the importance of prevention in the United States healthcare system; Regular calls with ASPR and other stakeholders participating in the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group (Joint SCRWG), a formal Working Group under the authority of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to support the Presidents vision for a resilient public health supply chain; Monthly calls with ASPRs Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to discuss updates on the hospital association COVID-19 funding program; Call with ASPR Healthcare and Public Health Government Coordinating Council leadership and other hospital associations to provide feedback on the COVID-19 hospital data guidance update; Provide comment letter to OSHA on the re-opening of comments on the Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 Rulemaking in which we urge OSHA not to finalize its rule for occupational exposure to COVID-19. In our comments, we indicate that we continue to oppose establishing new regulations that are not fully aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions evolving evidence-based guidance. With the constantly evolving, science-based CDC guidance and recommendations, CMS vaccination requirement and existing OSHA general standards, we strongly believe that an inconsistent and overly strict OSHA COVID-19 health care standard is not necessary, would cause confusion and will ultimately lower hospital employees morale and worsen unprecedented personnel shortages in hospitals. It is essential to a well-functioning health care system that only one set of science-based standards be applied to health care providers, and that these standards be aligned across federal agencies; Letter urging Congress to make the expanded tax credits permanent, ensuring millions of low- and middle-income families continue to have access to affordable coverage in 2023 and beyond; Express concerns with the letter to CMS from Congressman Murphy that makes a number of requests for data surrounding the COVID-19 add on payments for hospitals. We are concerned about the questions as they do not take into account the continued needs of the nations hospitals and health systems. Hospitals continue to face numerous challenges, including increased labor and supply costs and workforce shortages. These additional payments have helped to address some but not all of the high costs associated with COVID-19 patient care. The complexity of care is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as measured by length of stay, which further indicates that its still more resource intensive to treat COVID inpatients. In addition, the high costs associated personal protective equipment, isolation measures, and other additional resources are necessary when treating all patients, unless and until it is determined they do not have COVID-19; Submitted a letter to Ways and Means per their request for information on the health care industry and climate change. We support the sustainability efforts while acknowledging that for a variety of reasons, many hospitals and health systems face challenges and barriers to implementing this work, especially while responding to a pandemic; Letter urging HHS to maintain the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) until it is clear that the global pandemic has receded and the capabilities authorized by the PHE are no longer necessary. This will help prevent any future surges from threatening the health and safety of patients and the ability of health care professionals to care for them; Long COVID Best Clinical Practices Discussion with the White House Policy Advisor, Office of the COVID-19 Response; Submitted comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission outlining the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) practices have on the field. Specifically, urging the FTC to increase scrutiny on insured-mandated white bagging policies, as well as the impact of PBM-negotiated rebates and other business practices on the 340B drug discount pricing program and overall drug prices and drug price increases; Submit a comment letter to the Internal Revenue Service for their proposed rule amending how employer coverage affordability would be measured for family members of employees. We advocated for a fix to the current methodology for assessing affordability of employer coverage for family members, often referred to as the family glitch, which is estimated to affect about 5 million individuals. We commend the IRS on proposing to revise the regulation and improve access to health insurance coverage for millions of American families; Concerns S.4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements Act of 2022 or the FDASLA Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological product; Comment letter on CMS Radiation Oncology (RO) Model proposed rule. We strongly supports CMS efforts to transform the delivery of cancer care. We also support the original intent of the RO Model, which was to protect access to care by ensuring fair, predictable payment for radiation oncologists. However, this important goal of the original RO Model has been marred by the incorporation of significant payment cuts and substantial administrative burdens for those participating in this mandatory model. As such, the AHA supports CMSs proposal to delay the start date of the RO model from Jan. 1, 2023 to a date to be determined through future rulemaking; Support S. 4352,Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Letter in response to CMS request for guidance on implementing the regulatory requirement for convening providers and facilities exchange information with co-providers and co-facilities to create a comprehensive good faith estimate as part of the implementation of the No Surprises Act. Due to the lack of currently available automated solutions, this process would require a significant manual effort by providers, which would undoubtedly result in the convening provider being unable to meet the short statutory timeframes for delivering good faith estimates to the patients and could also lead to inadvertent errors. AHA has requested an extension in enforcement direction until a technical solution has been identified and implemented; Support HR 7691, Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act, a bill to protect hospital personnel from violence, and for other purposes; Letter requesting that HHS, HRSA, and OIG take immediate enforcement action against the now 17 companies that are refusing to honor their obligations under the 340B program; Letter sent to HHS Secretary to discuss how best to ensure prompt repayment to 340B hospitals without penalizing the rest of the hospital field after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that HHS outpatient payment cuts to hospitals in the 340B Drug Pricing Program were unlawful. The Courts decision did not determine a remedy for the unlawful payment cuts, instead, it remanded the case to the lower courts to address the proper remedy; Support HR 7084/ S 3983, Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act of 2022 or the PATCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require, for purposes of ensuring cybersecurity, the inclusion in any premarket submission for a cyber device of information to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the cyber device, and for other purposes; Submit Comment letter of support for CMS continued focus on strengthening health insurance coverage and ensuring ease of enrollment and limited gaps in coverage, including proposed updates to Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules; Submit letter for oversight hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) plans expressing concerns about some MA plans inappropriate restrictions on beneficiary access to medically necessary care, including those highlighted in a recent report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and urge Congress to increase its oversight of these plans; Provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committees discussion draft addressing mental health care and telehealth. AHA supports allowing Medicare beneficiaries who seek treatment for mental health disorders to receive their care through audio-only services, removing the requirement for Medicare patients to receive an in-person visit prior to receiving mental health services through telehealth, and expanding beyond physicians and limited non-physician practitioners the types of providers who can deliver and bill for telehealth services; Support HR 8576/ S 4352 Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act, a bill to require a study on the effects of travel nurse agencies on the health industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; Support HR 8806 Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022, a bill to enhance the cybersecurity of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector; Submitted a statement for the record for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Flatlining Care: Why Immigrants Are Crucial to Bolstering Our Health Care Workforce. This hearing examines the importance of improving the immigration process in order to help alleviate Americas health care workforce shortage. We encourage Congress to help address domestic health care workforce shortage.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.

Support H.R. 315,Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act, a bill to amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration; Support H.R. 1332 and S.368,Telehealth Modernization Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency; Discussion with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) about the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model; Support H.R. 1868, a bill that, among other health care provisions, would eliminate the 2% across-the-board cut to all Medicare payments, known as sequestration, until the end of 2021; Support H.R. 2455, The Resetting the Impact Act (TRIA), a bill to amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19; Support H.R. 3173/ S.3018, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans, and for other purposes; Support H.R. 1887/ S. 4009, Rural Hospital Support Act, a bill to make permanent the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-volume Adjustment programs and rebases the MDH and Sole Community Hospital programs; Support relief for Medicare advanced payments; Discussion with CMMI about the priorities for alternative payment models; Support HR 4587, Value in Health Care Act of 2021, a bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise certain regulations in relation to the Medicare shared savings program and other advanced alternative payment arrangements to encourage participation in such program, and for other purposes; Support HR 3746, Accountable Care in Rural America Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program; Support H.R. 5425/ S. 1988, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to protect access to telehealth services under the Medicare program; Letter asking Congress to address two important issues by the end of the year: an extension of the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts, as well as preventing the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester from taking effect; Letter urging Congress to remove the reductions to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program and uncompensated care pools from the Build Back Better Act; Support H.R. 5674/ S. 3061Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under the Medicare Program; Letter to the HHS secretary asking for PHE extension and urging HHS to extend the declaration for at least 90 days; Letter to the HHS secretary asking to renew the COVID-19 PHE; Letter to CMS urging changes to MA prior authorization requirements for PHE; Letter expressing our disappointment that Congress is adjourning for April recess without addressing the needs of hospitals and health systems and urging Congress to act to ensure health care providers have the critical relief, including but not limited to extending the Medicare sequester relief, adding more PRF dollars, and providing flexibility in the repayment terms for Medicare accelerated and advance repayments; Provide comments in response to the (CMS) request for information regarding access to coverage and care in the Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. The critical components for a comprehensive access and coverage strategy for Medicaid and CHIP should include: Robust outreach and enrollment efforts to secure and maintain coverage for eligible individuals and families, as well as ensure beneficiary knowledge of how to use this coverage, Standards to ensure timely and equitable access to quality care, and Provider payments that are sufficient to enable beneficiaries' access to quality care; Provide comments in response to the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) proposed rule to codify standards and clarify policies that govern public charge determinations. Public charge determinations assess how likely it is that an individual will become dependent on government assistance (public benefits) for support and subsistence. These policy clarifications are intended to help immigrants and their family members better understand when the use of certain public benefits could impact their future immigration status and address the chilling effects of the now-repealed 2019 public charge final rule. The AHA supports DHSs efforts to clarify policies regarding how public charge determinations are made to help reverse the damaging effects of the repealed 2019 public charge rule; A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program; Letter urging Congress to halt further cuts to hospital payments. Need to stop a harmful Medicare payment cut to providers that will go into effect July 1 without congressional action. Specifically, a 1% Medicare sequester cut took effect April 1, and that cut will increase to 2% on July 1 if Congress does not act. This will result in billions of dollars being cut from hospitals and health systems by the end of the year; Submitted comment letter regarding Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 and Updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. We note that the proposed IRF PPS labor-related share would only modestly shift upward from 72.9% in FY 2022 to 73.2% in FY 2022. AHA is concerned that these changes neither align regarding massive cost growth in recent months and years; Provide Comments on the Medicare Program - Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 which stated the Proposed FY 2023 Payment Update warrants closer examination and we urge CMS to discuss in the final rule how the agency will account for these increased costs. The timing of this proposed net decrease in payments could not be worse, given the well-documented impact of the COVID-19 public emergency (PHE) on the SNF and nursing home field; Letter sent to the bipartisan, bicameral Leadership of the House and Senate, urging Congress to act to prevent further Medicare sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on July 1; Submitted comment letter about inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2023. Concerned that CMS is proposing policies and payment adjustment that do not take into account the current the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and its atypical market forces and pandemic-driven aberrations affecting the utilization and cost of providing LTCH services. Specifically, we are concerned by proposals for an inadequate market basket update and an untenable spike in the high-cost outlier threshold; Letter urges Congress to call on CMS to make changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in order to ensure that Medicare payments for acute care services more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients and communities; Support the bipartisan Dear Colleague letters that ask CMS to make critical changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to more accurately reflect the cost of providing hospital care to patients; Support HR 8487/ S 3173 Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans; Support HR 8747 Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2022 or the ARCH Act of 2022, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low-volume hospital payments; Oppose HR 1330/ S 4130 Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2022, a bill to repeal changes made by health care reform laws to the Medicare exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals for hospitals, and for other purposes; Support HR 8188/ S4449 Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of market-based Medicare payment for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, to reduce administrative burdens in the collection of data, and for other purposes.