Last week WSHA led a contingent of members to Washington, D.C., to advocate for health care in rural America. We were pleased to be joined by 28 individuals representing 12 hospitals, making it one of our largest groups ever.
Our goal is to continue to raise awareness of the challenges we face and to urge members of Congress to work with us to develop new approaches to the delivery of care in rural areas. This is an annual trip and we are always impressed with the dedication of members who participate. Rural hospital CEOs, board members and other leaders tell compelling stories to our elected officials.
As always, this trip affords us the opportunity to showcase the health care work being done in rural communities across our state. This year our key areas of focus included advocating for continued support of 340B funding, opposing the site neutral payment cuts by CMS and the critical need to maintain access to services in rural hospitals.
We held meetings with the offices of both U.S. senators and nine congressional representatives spanning districts across our state. WSHA also had a meeting with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to discuss the rural multi-payer model and advocate for a Medicare model that allows for flexibility and recognizes Washington State’s unique rural traits.
Members advocated for small hospitals and made clear the unique needs of Washington State’s smaller hospitals, which cover more geography, are often the only source of health care, and are relatively more efficient compared to national peers.
We will continue to keep all members apprised of developments in the other Washington, and we appreciate your continued support in advocating for rural health care!
Sincerely,
Chelene Whiteaker
WSHA Senior VP of Government Affairs
chelenew@wsha.org
