The AAMC responded on Oct. 14 (PDF) to a request for input from Republican Ways and Means Committee Tax Teams on their efforts to examine tax provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (P.L. 115-97) that will expire in 2025 and to identify legislative policies for future action. Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and Tax Subcommittee Chair Mike Kelly (R-Penn.) announced the formation of the Ways and Means Tax Teams in April and requested feedback by Oct. 15.
The letter highlighted AAMC-member academic health systems and teaching hospitals, medical schools, and physician faculty’s intrinsic community benefit including providing specialized care to under-resourced and complex patients; serving as the largest funder of physician and workforce training; investing significant resources in and conducting medical research and discovery; providing their communities with essential disaster and emergency response capabilities; and serving as economic engines for their states and regions. The AAMC urged the tax teams to work with AAMC and other interested parties to consider targeted revisions to the IRS form 990 Schedule H, develop a more comprehensive definition of community benefit, and reject the elimination or restriction of the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals.