As health care reform moves quickly at the federal level, the Minnesota Hospital Association will actively support:

• reducing Medicare geographic payment disparities,
• creating a value-based purchasing program that would allow for high-quality, low-cost providers to be financially rewarded for their achievements rather than simply earning back a portion of their payments,
• protecting hospitals' tax-exempt status,
• protecting medical education funding and disproportionate share hospital payments, and
• ensuring appropriate safeguards in a national health plan.
  
  

Comment letters

MHA responds to a variety of federal entities regarding draft federal rules and regulations ... more

Tools & Resources

• Summary of legislative provisions, April 20, 2010: [PDF]
• Implementation timeline of federal reform legislation, April 22, 2010: [PDF]
• PowerPoint template members may use to make presentations before board members, employees, community groups and other stakeholders: [PPT]
• Comparison chart showing provisions of H.R. 3590, signed by Pres. Obama, and the reconciliation bill H.F. 4872, signed by the House (dated March 24, 2010): [DOC]
• MHA's federal health care reform priorities and principles: [PDF]
• Federal payment reform - congressional leaders comparison (updated 1/5/2010): [PDF]
• Congressional support for health care reform:
  • Sept. 17, 2009 - In a letter to President Obama, 28 senators, including Minnesota Sens. Klobuchar and Franken, emphasize the need to improve Medicare's efficiency in a way that reduces cost and promotes better quality in the health care industry: [PDF]
  • July 22, 2009 - In a letter to President Obama, Minnesota's entire congressional delegation urge him work with them to fix the payment inequities in the Medicare reimbursement formula: [PDF].
  • June 26, 2009 - U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-4th District) asked her colleagues to join her in sending a letter to the House leadership and to the committees of jurisdiction urging them to address Medicare geographic payment inequities as part of health care reform. 23 members of Congress from 10 states signed on. See letters to House leadership [PDF]; committee members: [PDF] and a McCollum news release: [PDF].
  • June 12, 2009 - MHA, along with the Minnesota Medical Association and Minnesota Council of Health Plans sent a letter to 11 U.S. legislators and to the White House Office of Health Reform urging lawmakers to find an "equitable, sustainable, value-based payment system for any publicly supported health care program, including Medicare." The letter stressed that the current Medicare funding system financially penalizes -- instead of rewards -- states like Minnesota, that provide high-quality, low-cost care. (See PDF of letter and tables detailing the financial disparities: PDF).
  • June 10, 2009 - U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar urges her colleagues to address Medicare geographic payment inequities as part of health care reform. See letter to Senate Finance Committee leadership, which was signed by 12 senators. [PDF].

Minnesota's hospitals are pressing forward with initiatives to further Minnesota's health care reform efforts. The MHA is a strong partner in implementing reform and will continue to work with all the key stakeholders for meaningful results.



Timelines of reform events

• Starting the Health Care Reform Journey," highlights elements of the health care reform bill and a 2008-2012 timeline of events: [PDF]
• Health Care Reform Timeline of Events, 2009-2011: [PDF]

State reform legislation

• When the Health Care Reform Bill (S.F. 3780) passed in June 2008, the MHA was responsive and submitted many comments to the Minnesota Departments of Health and Human Services ... more.