Advocacy Priorities 2011-2012

The Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Board of Stewardship Trustees has endorsed the organization's advocacy priorities for 2011-2012. The Board's endorsement culminates an extensive priority setting process that involved input from CHI leaders and employees as well as recommendations from the Advocacy Advisory Committee.

As CHI's advocacy priorities have been refined over multiple years, the priority issues have remained fairly constant, with Access and Coverage for All continuing as CHI's highest advocacy priority. There are six advocacy priorities with the highest emphasis placed on three issues that are interrelated and driven by the demands of health care reform - Access and Coverage for All, Delivery System Reform, and Quality, Value and Fair Payment. There will be continued advocacy efforts on three ongoing priority issues - Preservation of Charitable  Purpose, Rural Health Care, and Violence Prevention.

Access and Coverage for All*

Assure that regulations implementing health care reform achieve the promised expansion of coverage to more than 30 million uninsured individuals; block legislative efforts to repeal the coverage gains of health care reform; seek continued expansion of coverage to those left out of health care reform; eliminate health care disparities based on race, ethnicity, immigration or socio-economic status; enhance access to palliative care to persons facing life-threatening illnesses.

Delivery System Reform*

Remove regulatory and legal barriers to the provider collaboration needed to improve coordination and quality of care; seek implementing regulations for the proposed new models of care that provide flexibility and opportunity for participation by a broad range of hospitals and other providers; seek regulatory or legislative changes to advance the adoption of electronic health records and the integration of relevant information technology.

Quality, Value and Fair Payment* 

Implement value-based purchasing in a manner that rewards both quality improvement and achievement of high quality; oppose provider payment cuts in excess of levels included in health care reform; protect vulnerable populations and avoid undue harm to providers and programs in entitlement reform; seek reasonable exclusions in regulations implementing the readmission payment penalty provisions of reform; modify inappropriate payment penalties related to hospital-acquired condition provisions of reform.

Preservation of Charitable Purpose

Preserve and promote the charitable purpose and tax-exempt status of nonprofit health care; provide, demonstrate and communicate organizational accountability and community benefit, including charity care, that is responsive to community need; protect Catholic identity; promote social justice.

Rural Health Care

Preserve and promote access to high-quality health care services in rural areas through payment systems and programs that recognize the unique needs of rural providers; protect Critical Access Hospitals; advance telehealth; support workforce expansion efforts.

Violence Prevention

Advance public policy, community-based and other organizational initiatives that seek to address, reduce and prevent violence in the communities CHI serves; increase public understanding of the impact of violence on health; address multiple areas of violence, including domestic violence, child and elder abuse, Internet-related violence, bullying and gun violence.

*Highest emphasis

CHI's continuing involvement in advocacy provides the opportunity to shape future directions in health and social policy while also responding to current realities. CHI seeks to position itself as an informative and influential leader in fulfilling its commitment to advocacy.

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