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Introduction
With the presidency, the entire House of Representatives, and one-third of the Senate up for election in November, the federal health care agenda will be influenced by purely political considerations even more than usual in the coming year. Most of the substantive activity - especially legislatively - will probably take place in the first half of the year. The second half of 2008 will most likely be devoted to congressional hearings and political posturing designed to reinforce each party's presidential candidates and to reach out to the voters back home in search of support for congressional slates.
As was the case last year, Democrats can be expected to attempt to expand access to care, but again, they will be limited to a considerable degree both by the need to find offsetting cuts for any new spending they seek and by the threat of a presidential veto. The administration, meanwhile, has signaled its intention to find ways to reduce federal health care spending, especially by limiting the expansion of existing programs, and may attempt to use regulations to implement cuts when it cannot gain the legislative support it needs to do so.
2008 Agenda
As in the past, NAUH will work to ensure access to care for the disadvantaged and elderly residents of the communities its hospitals serve by working to ensure adequate funding of government health care programs. While doing everything it can to represent the interests of urban safety-net hospitals and respond to emerging issues in a timely and effective manner, NAUH expects to rally around four basic imperatives in 2008.
1. Advocate the Medicare Interests of Urban Safety-Net Hospitals
2. Protect the Medicaid Interests of Urban Safety-Net Hospitals
3. Advocate Special Payments for Urban Safety-Net Hospitals
4. Promote Access to Care
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