With Congress returning to Washington last week and an unfinished FY 2026 budget and a September 30 deadline for its passage foremost on the policy agenda, ASH has written to House and Senate members to remind them of the importance of protecting community safety-net hospitals during their deliberations in the coming weeks.

In its letter ASH notes four areas of particular concern to community safety-net hospitals:

• health care extenders that will expire on September 30 without specific action by Congress, including a long-enforced delay in cuts in Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allotments to the states;
• the devastating impact that anticipated PAYGO-mandated Medicare payment cuts – that is, new Medicare sequestration – could have on community safety-net hospitals;
• the expiration at the end of the year of the enhanced premium tax credits many low- and middle-income Americans need to purchase affordable health insurance; and
• the importance of ensuring that any other possible new health policies contemplated by Congress – such as measures involving the 340B prescription drug discount program and site-neutral Medicare payments for hospital-based outpatient departments – do not detract from the ability of safety-net hospitals to serve their communities.

Learn more about ASH’s perspective on these issues from ASH’s letter to Congress.