MHA Today is provided as a service to members of the Missouri Hospital Association. Additional information is available online at MHAnet. In This Issue U.S. Senate Postpones Vote On ACA Repeal/Reform Legislation CBO Releases Analysis Of Senate Health Reform Legislation GAO Issues Report On Graduate Medical Education Trends
Upcoming EVENT Engaging Physicians: The Art and Science of Building Trust and Partnership — Studer Group Thursday, July 20 Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach, Mo.
Advocate state and federal health policy developments
Staff Contact: Daniel Landon Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate will delay a vote on their “Better Care Reconciliation Act.” They originally had sought to vote on the ACA repeal/reform legislation this week. There is insufficient support in the Senate Republican caucus to begin the debate process. MHA opposes the legislation and has sent letters to Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill. MHA members are invited to use the Missouri Health Matters website to contact Missouri’s U.S. senators about the bill. Back To Top
Staff Contact: Daniel Landon The Congressional Budget Office has released its analysis of the fiscal and coverage implications of the U.S. Senate’s “Better Care Reconciliation Act,” that was released June 22. The proposed legislation is the Senate’s version of the “American Health Care Act” passed previously by the U.S. House of Representatives. Both seek to repeal/replace the Affordable Care Act. CBO concludes that the proposed BCRA legislation would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 15 million in 2018 and by 22 million in 2026. Federal Medicaid spending would decrease by 26 percent throughout the next 10 years. Medicaid enrollment of Americans younger than 64 would drop by 16 percent by 2026. Few low-income Americans would purchase benchmark plans beginning in 2020 because they would include significantly higher deductibles. MHA has published an issue brief with additional information. Back To Top
Staff Contacts: Daniel Landon or Jill Williams The federal Government Accountability Office has issued a report, with a summary, on graduate medical education programs and the physician workforce. The report reviews trends in the geographic distribution of residents and notes that 99 percent of residents are located in urban areas. It also examines residencies by medical specialty and subspecialty. The report considers the effectiveness of four federal programs to enhance primary care residencies and improve regional imbalances, and offers recommendations for federal workforce planning. Back To Top
More than 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have been tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention