Congress is midway in its spring session. On Tuesday, a group of Kansas Hospital Association hospital executives met with members of the Kansas Congressional Delegation in their offices on Capitol Hill. We highlighted and advocated issues facing Kansas hospitals, specifically financial and workforce challenges. These visits bookended the 2023 American Hospital Association's Annual Membership Meeting, and they could not have come at a better time for discussing federal policies that affect providers nationwide and in Kansas.
Tuesday morning's AHA plenary session began with attendees listening to a presentation by a figure familiar to Kansans: Senator Roger Marshall, MD. He spoke about the challenges facing hospitals when it comes to prior authorization, particularly when it comes to treating patients on Medicaid Advantage plans. Senator Marshall has introduced two bills to address these matters, one that would streamline the prior authorization process and the other that would require more transparency for consumers considering switching to Medicare Advantage plans. The Kansas group's first meeting on the Hill was with Senator Marshall and we got the opportunity to express our thanks to him for doggedly pursuing these issues.
In the afternoon, our focus shifted to the House of Representatives where there are troubling signs the fight over the debt ceiling and the budget may lead to calls for site-neutral Medicare payments. We discussed this concern with Congresswoman Sharice Davids and Congressman Tracey Mann, as well as with staff for Congressman Ron Estes and Congressman Jake LaTurner. On Wednesday, a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee had a hearing on site-neutral payments. Although none of our members are on the relevant subcommittee, they all understood how devastating this would be to patients' health, doctor/patient relationships and hospital finances. We also discussed workforce issues—particularly the nationwide nursing shortage—and our push for amendments to the Rural Emergency Hospital program that would make it more attractive for hospitals to join.
Later in the evening, we had the opportunity to meet with Senator Moran. As an appropriator, he is interested in helping to add the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to U.S. Department of Homeland Security's STEM certified degree list so foreign graduates of American BSN programs can receive student visa extensions with work authorizations while their prospective employers apply for their transitions to work visas. In general, our group also made sure to bring to every Kansas Congressional member's attention the fact that without a statutory waiver extension by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, the Affordable Care Act's original disproportionate share hospital cuts will go into effect. These cuts are already in effect for the 40 states that have expanded Medicaid, but if they go into effect for the other 10—including Kansas—that have not expanded Medicaid, the result could be devastating to hospitals that provide care to the most vulnerable Americans. The most likely vehicle for an extension would be an end-of-year budget bill or continuing resolution. We will continue to work with the Kansas Congressional Delegation on this as we move into summer.
All in all, our time in DC was productive. Although it can seem that political gridlock is the norm, we are confident that our delegation understands our issues and continues to step forward to help. I would personally like to thank the following KHA members who attended the AHA Annual Meeting and Hill visits to advocate on behalf of Kansas hospitals:
- Greg Bentz, Saint Luke's Health System
- Molly Haase, AdventHealth
- Lisa Horn, Children's Mercy Hospital
- Dr. Rob Kenagy, Stormont Vail Health
- Bobby Olm-Shipman, Saint Luke's South Hospital
- Dallas Polen, Children's Mercy Hospital
- Carrie Saia, Holton Community Hospital
- George Stover, Hospital District #1 of Rice County
- Curt Sudbeck, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital
- Tim Van Zandt, Saint Luke’s Health System
- Jake Vance, Saint Luke’s Health System
- Dr. Sherri Vaughn, The University of Kansas Health System
- Kenny Wilk, The University of Kansas Health System
--Chad Austin