A small delegation from the Health System group and SDAHO were in DC this week and visited with Representative Kristi Noem and the staff of Sen. Thune and Sen. Rounds. The group shared our deep concerns related to the House and Senate versions of legislation targeted to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other key legislative issues impacting health care providers in South Dakota.
In addition to sharing specific concerns related to the BCRA, the following issues discussed included:
- Preserve the 340 B drug pricing program.
- Oppose STARK legislation such as the “Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2017,” and any other legislation that would expand self-referral to physician owned hospitals.
- Urgent need to fix the Indian Health Services (IHS) lack of funding to allow hospitals in the state to be reimbursed the millions of dollars owed by IHS and to help to resolve the purchased & referred care (PRC) issues.
- Support the health care “extenders” including:”
- Ambulance add-on payments,
- Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP),
- Home Health rural add-on,
- Medicaid Disproportionate Hospital (DSH) program,
- Rural Hospital Access Act of 2017 (S. 872/H.R. 1955), to permanently extend the Medicare-dependent hospitals and enhanced low-volume adjustment programs.
