Hospital Groups: Don't Cut Medicare to Fund Unemployment Benefits

Eight national hospital organizations have asked lawmakers not to cut Medicare funding to extend unemployment benefits.

In response to a Senate proposal to extend sequestration cuts to pay for unemployment benefits, the groups wrote further Medicare reimbursement reductions "could undermine care for seniors" and would constitute "bad policy."

The Senate is working to negotiate a deal to extend long-term unemployment benefits. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) proposed an 11-month extension paid for by extending sequestration until 2024, according to a report from The Hill.

"While we do not oppose the extension of these benefits, we do oppose using Medicare reductions to pay for non-Medicare related spending," the organizations wrote in the letter. The groups include the American Hospital Association, America's Essential Hospitals, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the Federation of American Hospitals, the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, Premier and the VHA.

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