News

The AHA submitted a statement Sept. 17 for a House Ways and Means Committee markup session on a series of health care and other bills.

A bipartisan House letter by Reps. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., Gus M. Bilirakis, R-Fla., and Diana DeGette, D-Colo., urged House leadership to prevent reductions to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital program that are scheduled to take effect Oct. 1.

The Food and Drug Administration recently disclosed dozens of warning letters sent to drug companies that accuse them of using misleading or deceptive advertising.

A blog by Julia Resnik, AHA senior director of health outcomes and care transformation, describes a new project with the Commonwealth Fund that will explore how rural hospitals leverage assets in their hospital and community to maintain or expand access to care for pregnant women.

In a video released Sept. 17 for National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, Carrie Cunningham, M.D., an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, section head of the Endocrine Surgery Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a former professional tennis player — shares her story of battling depression and explains why she now speaks openly about physician suicide and mental health.

Corey Feist, CEO and co-founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, and Tiffany Lyttle, R.N., director of cultural integration at Centra Health, discuss how hospitals, health systems and states are working to improve mental health access for health care workers and the need to create cultures where seeking help is seen as a sign of strength, as well as innovative well-being programs that are making a difference for the people who care for us.

The AHA commented Sept. 15 on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services calendar year 2026 outpatient prospective payment system and ambulatory surgical center payment system proposed rule.

The AHA Sept. 15 expressed support for the Ensuring Access to Essential Providers Act, legislation that would require Medicare Advantage plans to cover services provided by certain essential community providers, including different types of hospitals that the plans must negotiate with to include in their network.

The AHA Sept. 15 urged Aetna to rescind its recently announced “level of severity inpatient payment” policy, saying that it “could erode the transparency consumers rely on to make informed decisions about their care, undermine important regulatory protections that safeguard patients’ coverage, and jeopardize the ability of hospitals to provide high-quality, accessible care to all who need it.” 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Sept. 15 announced that states can now apply for funding from the Rural Health Transformation Program created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Sept. 12 affirmed a Mississippi Court’s decision to deny AbbVie’s request for a preliminary injunction against enforcement of state law protecting 340B pricing for contract pharmacy arrangements.

The FBI Sept. 12 released an alert warning of malicious activities by cybercriminal groups UNC6040 and UNC6395, which the agency said are responsible for an increasing number of data theft and extortion intrusions.

The Census Bureau reported that the uninsured rate increased nationally to 8.2% in 2024 from 7.9% in 2023 based on data from the American Community Survey.

The AHA commented Sept. 12 on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services calendar year 2026 physician fee schedule proposed rule.

The flu hospitalization rate during the 2024-25 flu season was the highest since 2010-11, according to a report published Sept. 12 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A Gallup report published Sept. 9 found that nearly 48 million Americans currently have or are being treated for depression.

A JAMA study published Aug. 29 found that one in five U.S. medical students experience food insecurity.

Current Medicare payment rates recognize the fundamental differences between patient care delivered in hospital outpatient departments compared to other settings. Any expansion of so-called site-neutral payment cuts will result in limiting or eliminating critical hospital-based care, increased wait times for services and reduced access to care for all patients.

The Federal Trade Commission

The AHA today expressed support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R.