Congress Must Support Health Systems in Year-End Legislation

Health systems, like Trinity Health, continue to struggle with workforce shortages, rising acuity and significant financial pressures as a result of pandemic aftershocks and inflation.




In fact, 2022 is projected to be one of the worst financial years for hospitals. Trinity Health is focusing the future of its 26-state health system on accountability for quality and total cost of care, and on eliminating inefficiency and waste to better steward our nation's health care resources.




We are prioritizing care coordination—beyond hospital walls—and excellent patient care experiences as demonstrated by our willingness to embrace virtual care delivery and take accountability for our patients' health outcomes. As we transition to this future state, fair Medicaid payment is essential for hospitals to maintain critical service lines. Congress must act to ensure hospitals and health systems have the resources needed to sustain their missions.




Now, more than ever, health systems require fair payment to rebuild and prepare for the future. Earlier today, Trinity Health sent this letter to congressional leadership urging Congress to ensure hospitals and health systems have adequate resources to serve as a community safety net. These mission-sustaining actions include:

• Prevent the 4% statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) sequester cuts to hospital Medicare fee-for-service rates from taking effect.
• Cancel a scheduled Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decrease in the Medicare conversion factor that would reduce physician payment by more than 4%.
• Protect health care workers from assault and intimidation by enacting the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act.
• Address egregious practices by health plans with passage of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act.
• Maintain momentum for value-based care by extending the 5% bonus incentive payment for Accountable Care Organizations included in the Value in Health Care Act.
• Extend and expand telehealth policies that create new access points to care.

I urge Congress to use year-end legislation to enable health care system to fulfill their missions to improve the health of the communities they serve.