Federal Issues

IHA Alert: Urge Members of Congress to Reject Setting Rates for Hospitals in Federal Law

Members of Congress are in their home districts for the August recess and need to hear from hospitals about surprise billing.

IHA Alert: Oppose Setting Payment Rates in Law for Out-of-Network Bills

Members are urged to contact their U.S. Representative to oppose setting a benchmark rate for payment to providers for certain out-of-network and emergency services.

IHA Alert: Surprise Billing Legislation: Contact Your U.S. Representatives and Senators

IHA urges Congress to use successful state-level laws, such as those in Illinois, which preserve the standard process of negotiation, as a model for federal legislation.

Support Legislation to Increase Medicare-funded Residency Slots

The Medicare Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019  would increase the number of Medicare-funded residency positions by 15,000 over five years, beginning in fiscal year 2021.

IHA Alert: Public Charge Proposed Rule

Members are urged to comment on the rule by Dec. 10.

Urge Your U.S. Representative to Sign Letter on OPPS Site-Neutral Cuts

Contact your U.S. Representative now and ask him/her to sign the Roskam-Thompson letter on OPPS site-neutral cuts.

Rural Emergency Medical Center (REMC) Act of 2018

IHA Letter to CMS re: Hospital Assessment Program

IHA urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to approve the Illinois Hospital Assessment Program redesign to preserve access to care for Illinois Medicaid beneficiaries.

Support Illinois Hospital Assessment Program

IHA asks the Illinois Congressional Delegation to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to review and approve the State Plan Amendments for the redesigned Hospital Assessment Program.

IHA Letter to U.S. Senators on Healthcare Price Transparency

In a letter to U.S. senators, IHA provided requested input on healthcare price transparency and shared Illinois’ progress on offering patients relevant and meaningful price information.

Protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program

Ask your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 4392 to protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program from a 30 percent pay reduction that could cost hospitals $1.6 billion.

Support Rural Medicare Extenders

Urge Congress to support Rural Medicare Extenders. Funding for the Medicare-dependent hospital and enhanced low-volume adjustment programs expires Sept. 30, 2017.

IHA Summary: President Signs Federal Opioid Package

Today, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, H.R. 6 (115).

Regulatory Relief

IHA urges Congress to require Medicare Administrative Contractors to extend the site-neutral exception opportunity to those HOPDs that relocated after Nov. 2, 2015.

340B Position Paper

IHA’s position paper on the 340B Drug Pricing Program outlines why the program is critical to patients and hospitals and the specific actions Congress can take to protect it.

Private Activity Bonds Letter from Congress

U.S. Reps. Michael Bost, Rodney Davis and Randy Hultgren from Illinois signed a letter in support of maintaining tax-exempt status for private activity bonds in the final tax reform bill.

S. 2157 Comment Letter

IHA supported the Drug-price Transparency in Communications Act to address recent dramatic increases in prices for generic and specialty prescription drugs.

340B Letter from U.S. Representatives

Fifteen U.S. representatives from Illinois joined a majority of House members in asking federal officials to abandon proposed changes to the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

340B Drug Pricing Program Fact Sheet

Pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in Medicaid must discount outpatient drugs to qualifying hospitals and other providers who see a large number of low-income patients and rural populations.