NAPH sent this letter to House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-MI) and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) outlining NAPH’s thoughts on the budget reconciliation legislation.

NAPH and its members urge Congress to recognize that cutting provider taxes shifts costs onto states, which they cannot afford. Cuts in provider taxes do not increase efficiency or performance - they only succeed in shifting costs and negatively impacting Medicaid beneficiaries.

NAPH and its members urge Congress to protect America’s safety net and reject cuts to the Medicaid program, including provider tax reductions, repeal of maintenance-of-effort requirements, DSH rebasing, and repeal of state exchange grant authority – which simply shift costs back onto cash-strapped states, providers, and beneficiaries.

NAPH members are leading innovators in care quality and cost efficiency. NAPH members stand ready to work with Congress to encourage and enact thoughtful policy changes that foster innovation.

NAPH and its members urge Congress to reject the MedPAC recommendation to reduce hospital E&M payments pending further analysis. This payment reduction would result in significant cuts to hospitals, which ultimately impact the care available to low-income beneficiaries.

NAPH and its members urge Congress and policymakers to ensure that vulnerable patients are not left behind in delivery system transformations, by crafting future safety net financing policy that recognizes the true cost of care for difficult-to-treat populations and is aligned with broader quality improvement goals.