Washington D.C. –February 24, 2023– U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) who is a member on the subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) joined the bipartisan group of 12 senators in urging the extension of a policy to help small-scale hospitals across states such as Alabama continue to provide quality care for their residents.
In a letter addressed to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks LaSure, senators requested in writing a formal request for a 4-year renewal for the Low Wage Index Hospital Policy that allows hospitals in rural regions to compete for and retain, staff of high-quality by increasing the amount of reimbursements for the hospitals located in areas that have lower wages overall. If nothing is done, Medicare payments to these hospitals will be reduced from September 30th 2023.
“Unfortunately because of the disruptions to the market due to the COVID-19 pandemic We haven’t had the chance to assess the real effect on this Low Wage Index Hospital Policy proposed in CMS,” the Senators stated in their letter. “Extending this Low Wage Index Hospital Policy for a further four years will allow hospitals as well as CMS to gain a better understanding of the policy’s real impact in a regular setting.”
Senators Britt as well as Tuberville are as well Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), John Boozman (R-Ark. ), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss. ), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss. ), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
“Our rural communities and families depend on the medical care and possibly life-saving treatments local hospitals offer,” said U.S. Senator Katie Britt. “Every Alabamian needs access to high-quality healthcare and the chance to thrive in secure, solid communities, regardless of their location.”
