In September, important healthcare legislation that would impact access to patient care was debated in both the House and the Senate. But the fight to protect access to care is far from over: In the coming months, the House will likely return to debating a bill that was shelved last Monday that has site-neutral provisions, and other proposals will continue to be debated in the Senate, following the passage of the Primary Care and Health Workforce Expansion Act in the Senate HELP Committee last Thursday.
As a valued advocate, we want to keep you informed on healthcare legislation, and how you can continue to take action going forward.
Here’s what happened in Congress last week:
- In a win for hospital-based healthcare advocates and patients, the Healthcare Price Transparency Act’s House vote was canceled on Monday afternoon.
- The package contained concerning site-neutral provisions, which could lead to rural hospital closures and limited access to hospital-based care.
- There is a good chance that this legislation will return to be debated on the House floor in the coming weeks and months, so it is imperative that we remain vigilant in speaking out against the harmful provisions of this legislation.
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee passed the Primary Care and Health Workforce Expansion Act, which would have a significantly negative impact on hospital-based patient care.
- If passed as written, it could jeopardize or even eliminate access to many of the essential services that hospitals provide.
- This bill would have real consequences that will affect real people, particularly in rural and low-income communities
The Coalition’s advocates just participated in the Week of Action:
- Nearly 2,000 grassroots advocates signed the pledge to take action.
- Advocates sent 12,000 letters to legislators in the last week and over 35,000 since late July.
- Nearly 50 advocates shared their personal stories on social media and tagged their Members of Congress.
The Coalition still needs advocates like you to make your voices heard. Here’s how you can continue to take action:
- Send a letter to your Member of Congress telling them to reject legislation that would impact access to hospital-based care for patients.
- Sign up for SMS alerts to stay in the know on any legislation impacting healthcare access, Medicare, and hospital care funding this fall.
- Share your story here. We’re sharing advocates’ positive hospital experiences to illustrate the importance of hospital care to Members of Congress. These stories have the power to influence legislators and remind them of the importance of protecting access to care.
- You can watch and share the video here that urges Congress to protect access to quality hospital care for patients.
With so much hanging in the balance, we are grateful to have advocates like you to protect access to quality healthcare.