U.S. Chamber Urges Congress to Restore Medicare Funds to Providers

WASHINGTON, DC—The United States Chamber of Commerce in a letter to Congress called for swift action to restore Medicare funding to hospitals and other health care providers delivering critical community services.

Health care providers have suffered unintended financial losses as a result of 1997 Medicare payment changes, strongly supported by the Chamber to ensure the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund, which have produced far greater savings than anticipated or needed. Providers – hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, health plans and outpatient and ancillary support services – care for the nation's elderly and disabled population and are highly dependent on the Medicare program.

"The Chamber believes that restoring these Medicare funds is the most important priority among the several Medicare policy issues pending before Congress," said Bruce Josten, Chamber executive vice president of government affairs. "Employers everywhere want to ensure the continued viability of the array of health care providers that serve both the Medicare population and the enrollees of private health care plans."

To address this issue, the Chamber has joined with the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care, a partnership of 250 businesses, hospitals and hospital associations leading a nationwide public education campaign highlighting the financial crisis facing America's hospitals.

"These providers also serve working families across the nation, and the Chamber is concerned about the combined impact of insufficient payment and ever-changing and overbearing regulation," Josten said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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