A Word From The President:

Protecting Our Nation's Health Care

Photo of Jordan J. Cohen, M.D.
In the spring of 2000, key leaders in the House and Senate told representatives of the hospital community that securing further Balanced Budget Act relief in the 106th Congress was out of the question. They noted that 1999 was the year of the provider and that 2000 was the beneficiaries' turn. But by the time Congress adjourned last December, it had allocated $11.5 billion over five years in relief to our nation's hospitals.

Why the turnaround? There's little doubt it would not have happened without the highly effective communications campaign conducted by the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care. A year ago this month, the AAMC joined with hospitals; national, state, and local hospital associations; and major business groups to launch the coalition with the aim of raising public and policy-maker awareness of the financial duress facing many hospitals and the impact of that duress on patients and communities. Formation of the coalition was itself a major milestone, marking the first time the entire hospital community had come together to communicate directly to the public. And on its one-year anniversary, it's safe to say that the coalition has been a resounding success.

Thanks to the leadership of Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Gary Mecklenberg, who has served as the coalition's fundraising chair, and the efforts of the University of Chicago's Ralph Muller and many others, the coalition has raised over $14 million - more than a quarter of which has come from members of the AAMC's Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems. Of the total, $8 million was used to fund an unprecedented advertising campaign highlighting the importance of securing relief from the Balanced Budget Act's drastic Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts.

The resulting national and local television, radio, and print ads, in addition to the coalition's direct lobbying and grassroots campaign, were instrumental in conveying to lawmakers the magnitude of the financial challenges confronting our nation's hospitals. Aggressive advertising in the late fall of 2000 guaranteed that the issue, unlike so many others, didn't get lost in the confusion surrounding the election. And not only did we make an impression on Congress, but the coalition also shifted public opinion. According to independent market research, in areas where the coalition advertising was run, voters were nearly 20 percent more likely to report that hospitals faced "bad times."

Just because additional BBA relief was enacted last year doesn't mean that the coalition's work is done. Indeed, we are taking heart from our success and applying the same effective strategies to advance a new agenda that highlights growing shortages in the nation's health care work force. Topping this year's priority list is securing additional Medicare dollars to help address this work force crisis.

Other goals include (a) obtaining the full "market-basket" update in the DRG rates, a change that will benefit all hospitals that treat Medicare patients, and (b) stabilizing the indirect medical education (IME) payments, a change that is of particular importance, of course, to teaching hospitals.

The latter goal would be achieved with passage of the "American Hospital Preservation Act of 2001," a bill introduced by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) in the Senate and by Reps. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and Richard Neal (D-Mass.) in the House.

To help make our case, we are bringing attention to the looming work force crisis in health care. The coalition ran ads over the past several months showcasing the role of the hospital work force in caring for patients around the clock. After Labor Day, we will begin more aggressive lobbying and advertising that emphasize the mounting shortages of health professionals and resulting risks to patient welfare.

Together, we can help ensure that hospitals have the means to continue caring for patients and communities and serving as critical training grounds for tomorrow's doctors.

Jordan J. Cohen, M.D.
AAMC President

19 July 2001