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December 07, 2015 (Cleveland)

The Center for Health Affairs Visits Northeast Ohio Congressional Delegation

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Deanna Moore, vice president of corporate communications, and Tony Gutowski, manager of government relations, traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with members of the Northeast Ohio congressional delegation to provide information about The Center for Health Affairs and its members. The visit also provided the opportunity to meet with lawmakers and their staff about several issues affecting hospitals in Northeast Ohio.

The visit was timely given that Congress was in the midst of completing the omnibus appropriations bill, which considered several provisions important to hospitals, including: 

• postponing the “Cadillac tax” on health insurance plans
• implementing a two-year moratorium on the medical device tax
• changing in the way the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimburse off-campus hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), perhaps most important to The Center’s members. 

The Northeast Ohio congressional delegation received feedback from The Center on the recent changes to funding for off-campus HOPDs. Additionally, lawmakers provided strategic guidance on how to address the issue with congressional leadership, who would ultimately determine if the provision would be addressed before the holiday recess.

Legislators were also asked to weigh in on H.R. 2646, a bill that would significantly overhaul the mental health system in the United States. While the fate of H.R. 2646 won’t be determined until sometime in 2016, the Northeast Ohio congressional delegation was mostly supportive of this legislation, although some recommended technical changes to the bill.

Moving forward, The Center will continue to monitor these issues and communicate with the Northeast Ohio congressional delegation on behalf of its membership. For more information, please contact Tony Gutowski at 216.255.3610 or via email.