U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) in sending a bipartisan letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure encouraging the agency to appeal a recent ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and finalize its proposal to continue the Low Wage Index Hospital Policy in the fiscal year 2023 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) to reduce the disparity in Medicare reimbursement.
The letter reads in part, “In our states, the flawed AWI methodology has continued to negatively impact Medicare reimbursement. For decades, Medicare reimbursement has not been sufficient to cover the cost of the care provided. The compounded impact of this disparity has created financial pressures that are unsustainable. Our hospitals have survived as a result of reserves, cost-cutting measures, staff reductions, and the elimination of services, but these options have been exhausted. If nothing changes, more hospitals across our states will be forced to make difficult decisions about the services and jobs they provide, and with some potentially even closing.”
In addition to Boozman, Cotton and Shelby the bipartisan letter was signed by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Tim Scott (R-SC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
Source: https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2C35DB82-FC3B-4CE6-8037-3DF54E807975
