CMA Public Policy Update: HPP Funding, Ohio Insurance Reform, and More

From the federal funds that fuel health care preparedness and response in Ohio and across the country to Ohio Administrative Code rules and state-level insurance reform, there are a number of important policy updates that impact our physicians and community. 

Update on HPP Funding & Federal Appropriations 

Unlike the federal reconciliation process, federal appropriations bills are broken into smaller bills by subject matter. The appropriations bills determine funding for discretionary programs, which is everything other than mandatory programs (such as Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, etc.) and taxes.

Appropriations bills move through the House and Senate at the same time. Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Bill, which was advanced by a vote of 26-3 and provides $197 billion in discretionary funding. 

The most important thing for members of the Columbus Medical Association and its affiliates to know is that the bill largely rejected the Administration's federal fiscal year 2026 budget proposal to restructure, eliminate, or consolidate many public health programs, including the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP). HPP funds are the primary source of funding for health care preparedness and response nationwide. CMA affiliate COTS coordinates emergency preparedness and response for 36 of Ohio's 88 counties for the Ohio Department of Health, which administers the HPP in Ohio. 

Though the proposed funding levels included in the appropriations bill are subject to change as both chambers of Congress are expected to engage in negotiations before the expiration of the current federal fiscal year on September 30, the Senate bill includes the following:

• $309 million for Health Care Readiness and Recovery (formerly the Hospital Preparedness Program), an increase of $4 million.
• Language requiring the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to submit a detailed plan and justification to the Committees on Appropriations prior to initiating a reorganization or transfer of functions carried out by the Centers for Disease Control.
• Full funding for the 988-suicide hotline.

How can you help? It’s important to continue to reach out to your representatives in Congress to advocate for emergency preparedness funding.

• Find your U.S. House Representative here.
• Contact Sen. Bernie Moreno and Sen. Jon Husted here.

Miscellaneous Topics

• Click here to read all about the Ohio State Medical Association’s insurance reform legislative effort, a wrap-up of the state budget, and more in their July 2025 Advocacy Report. 
• On July 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rescinded a 1998 interpretation of “federal public benefit” as used in Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). As a result, HHS has expanded the health care and social service programs for which it deems undocumented people ineligible. Read more about the change here.
• The Ohio Board of Pharmacy recently issued a slew of new, amended and rescinded rules. See summaries of the changes at this link.
• In late June, the US. Supreme Court upheld the authority of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to make determinations about preventive coverage mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Read about the impact of the Kennedy v. Braidwood Mgmt., Inc. decision here.
  

CMA Federal Policy Update 

Federal Budget

President’s Budget Slashes the Hospital Preparedness Program

What is it?

• President Trump’s budget proposes a drastic reduction in federal funding to the Hospital Preparedness Program, the program that coordinates healthcare preparedness and response. In Central Ohio, the HPP is coordinated by COTS.  

What does it mean?

• The proposed cuts make it impossible to collectively prepare for and respond to healthcare emergencies and jeopardizes healthcare readiness for crises that include natural and man-made disasters, pandemics, and cyber incidents with extended downtime. For more information, click here.
  

What can I do?

• Be on alert for a call to action! COTS is working with other regional preparedness and readiness programs in Ohio to advocate to House and Senate appropriators to maintain stable funding for the HPP. We will call on you to help!
  

House-Passed Reconciliation Bill Cuts Medicaid Coverage to Millions

What is it?

• The reconciliation bill passed by the House reduces federal funding for the Medicaid program by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years.

What does it mean?

• The Medicaid program is the largest single source of health care coverage in the United States, covering nearly half of all children, many low-income elderly and disabled individuals, and working adults in low-wage jobs. The $822 billion in Medicaid cuts included in the House Budget Reconciliation bill is projected by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office to result in the loss of coverage for at least 7.6 million Americans. The cuts will lead to even more crowding of emergency departments, closures of rural hospitals and community physician practices, and widespread health and economic instability.  For more information, read the Coalition of State Medical Associations’ letter to Congress, available on the OSMA’s website. 
  

What can I do?

• Contact Senators Husted and Moreno and share your concerns regarding the impact of the cuts on your patients, your business, and the health care system at large.

Federal Miscellaneous

Trump Administration Enforces Immigration in Formerly “Protected Areas” 

What is it?

• One of President Trump’s first actions upon taking office was eliminating the existing (at the time) prohibition against enforcing immigration in “protected areas”, which protected certain areas, including healthcare facilities, from immigration enforcement. 
  

What does it mean?

• Immigrants seeking health care in a health care facility can be detained or arrested by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol (BP) agents. Health care facilities are expending time and resources preparing for ICE and BP raids. Additionally, the fear of such raids is dissuading immigrants from seeking health care and other services. 
  

What can I do?

•  Ask the CMA for information about how to educate yourself about this issue. For more information, visit this link.

CMS Rescinds EMTALA Guidance on Emergency Abortions

What is it?

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rescinded on June 3, 2025, guidance from 2022 that clarified that if a hospital emergency department physician believes that an abortion is the stabilizing treatment necessary to resolve a patient’s emergency medical condition, the physician must provide that treatment, regardless of state law. 
  

What does it mean?

• Emergency department physicians must be knowledgeable about the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and state abortion laws, including the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment, and render clinical decisions based on their understanding of such laws.
  

What can I do?

• Stay informed. For more information, see this link. 

Miscellaneous Updates

Physicians May Be Eligible to Participate in a Huge Blue Cross Blue Shield Settlement Opportunity

What is it?

• The class action lawsuit, In re: Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation, addresses Provider Plaintiffs’ claims that Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) violated antitrust laws by illegally dividing the United States into "Service Areas" and agreeing not to compete in those areas. Provider Plaintiffs also claim that BCBS fixed prices for services. The case is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, and both parties have agreed to a Settlement. If approved by the court, the Settlement will establish a $2.8 billion Settlement Fund.

What does it mean?

• Class Members who are providers who submit a valid approved claim will receive a payment from the Net Settlement Fund if the Settlement is approved. 
  

What can I do?

• Submit a claim by going to this link. For additional information, including eligibility criteria, see this article.