ACTION NEEDED
Contact the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) Board to urge its reconsideration of office staff’s proposed 3% spending growth target. Vocal and persistent opposition from the provider field will be crucial to helping the board understand how its proposal would impede access to care across the state.
TIMING
Testify during public comments at the Feb. 28 OHCA board meeting; submit comment letters by March 11. Unless hospitals’ voices are heard, the OHCA board is likely to finalize the spending growth target at its March 25 meeting. Please forward submitted letters to Emily Schroeder, legislative assistant. If you plan on testifying at the Feb. 28 meeting, please notify Mark Farouk, vice president, state relations.
RESOURCES
BACKGROUND
In January, OHCA staff released a proposed 3% annual spending growth target for 2025-29; it would be non-enforceable in 2025 but in later years could result in performance improvement plans and financial penalties for hospitals that fail to meet the target. The OHCA board is required to finalize the initial target by June and may do so at its March 25 meeting. It is critical that hospital members weigh in on this target, which has wide-ranging ramifications for the health care field. Notably, OHCA’s mandate is twofold: to rein in spending growth, but without sacrificing quality of or access to health care. As proposed, the spending growth target would undoubtedly have a negative impact on health care statewide. For more information, visit CHA’s dedicated OHCA web page. Questions should be directed to Ben Johnson, vice president, policy, and Mark Farouk, vice president, state relations.