Valued Voice

President Biden Signs Continuing Resolution Including Funding for Medicare Dependent and Low Volume Hospitals

On Sept. 30, President Joe Biden signed legislation passed by the U.S. House and Senate as a stopgap measure to continue funding the federal government through Dec. 16.

Included in the legislation are provisions that extended funding for key WHA priorities of rural Medicare Dependent hospitals (MDH) and Low Volume Adjustment hospitals (LVH), also through Dec. 16. As covered in last week's The Valued Voice, WHA has made this a key federal priority, sending a coalition letter from the impacted Wisconsin hospitals and health systems supporting the extension and making this a lead issue in visits to Wisconsin's Congressional delegation on Capitol Hill in June and September. Wisconsin currently has 17 hospitals that would see cuts of more than $19 million dollars annually without funding to continue these programs.

Congress is now adjourned all October and through Election Day, but this is expected to be an issue it takes up in a lame deck funding bill in mid-December before funding runs out. WHA will continue to make this a federal advocacy priority in the meantime.

Contact WHA Vice President of Federal and State Relations Jon Hoelter with questions.