America’s Essential Hospitals sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urging Congress to include essential hospital priorities in forthcoming budget reconciliation legislation.
In the letter, America’s Essential Hospitals communicated the significant challenges member hospitals continue to experience as they respond to COVID-19. The association urged Congress to consider including policies in the reconciliation legislation that would:
- prioritize emergency supplemental funding to support essential workforce needs;
- lower prescription drugs for patients while protecting the 340B Drug Pricing Program; and
- invest in modernizing and rebuilding essential hospital infrastructure, including emergency preparedness.
Democratic lawmakers are actively developing legislation to advance the Biden administration’s “human infrastructure” priorities, including social and health care policies not part of the bipartisan infrastructure package the Senate passed last month. Democrats are employing the budget reconciliation legislative process to ensure their outstanding priorities can pass the Senate on a majority vote and without the need for Republican support.
The budget resolution for fiscal year 2022 that passed both chambers last month formally unlocked the reconciliation process. House and Senate lawmakers are expected to develop the reconciliation legislation by Sept. 15.
Contact Vice President of Legislative Affairs Carlos Jackson at 202-585-0112 or cjackson@essentialhospitals.org with questions.
