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| Action needed: | Call or email your U.S. representative and urge them to sign on to a bipartisan letter asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve California’s Medicaid Hospital Quality Assurance Fee (HQAF) Program before the end of the year. The letter is being led by Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-1) and Doris Matsui (D-CA-7). To sign on to the letter, have your representative contact Riley Scott in Rep. LaMalfa’s office or Jackie Weinrich in Rep. Matsui’s office. Resources are available below for use in members’ outreach. Find your representative’s contact information in this online directory. |
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Timing: | ASAP — California delegation members in the U.S. House of Representatives should sign on to the letter by Dec. 15. |
Resources:
- CA DSH Task Force Letter to the California Congressional Delegation
- Copy of delegation letter for representatives to sign
Background:
CMS has consistently approved the HQAF program since it began operating in California in 2010. The program provides funding for supplemental payments to California hospitals that serve Medi-Cal and uninsured patients. California submitted its HQAF program package for federal approval in March 2023, which mirrors the program structure that has been authorized multiple times previously. With a comprehensive review at the CMS regional level now complete, approval by CMS’ central office should be expedited. Any delay in approval of the program leaves California hospitals and their communities with greater uncertainty about the future of their health care.