(116th Congress)
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About CHA

The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) is the national leadership organization of the Catholic health ministry, representing the largest not-for-profit provider of health care services in the nation. By pursuing the priorities of the ministry, CHA is working to create health care that serves everyone. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are served by Catholic health care organizations providing acute care, skilled nursing and other services including hospice, home health, assisted living and senior housing.
Our advocacy is grounded in the core values that form the CHA
Vision for U.S. Health Care:
- Human Dignity: Because each
person is created in the image of God,
each life is sacred and possesses
inalienable worth. Health care is essential
to promoting and protecting the inherent
dignity of every individual from
conception to natural death.
- Concern for the Poor and Vulnerable: The moral measure of society is how it treats the poor and vulnerable, who are particularly marginalized by a lack of access to health care.
- Justice: Health care is a basic human right alongside food and shelter, all of which are necessary for individuals to participate fully in society.
- Common Good: The health and well-being of each person is intertwined with the health and well-being of the broader community. Access to health care is an essential element contributing to the common good alongside others such as education, employment and a safe environment.
- Stewardship: Our societal resources are finite, and we must make wise choices for how they are allocated. Health care resources should focus on the well-being of the community and be structured to deliver the care that is most medically beneficial and promotes public health.
- Pluralism: The health care system should allow and encourage involvement of the public and private sectors including voluntary, religious and not-for-profit organizations, and it should respect the religious and ethical values of patients and health care providers alike.
Our Priorities for the 116th Congress
Ensuring Access and Coverage for All
Over the past several years, significant
progress has been made toward expanding
access to health insurance coverage and
improving the quality of care in our
delivery system. However, far too many
are still without health coverage or suffer
from coverage and care that does not
fully meet their needs. In this Congress,
we will work to:
- Enhance affordability, accessibility
and quality of coverage for all, paying
special attention to low-income and
vulnerable individuals and those in
rural communities
- Ensure continued access and coverage
for the millions of Americans who
have gained insurance coverage under
the Affordable Care Act, including
those with pre-existing and chronic
conditions, through efforts to further
improve the program
- Discover better and more effective
financing models to improve the
provision of and access to care
- Pursue innovative policy approaches
for delivering care to improve access
and outcomes and reduce costs
through integration, coordination
and prevention
- Improve access to mental and
behavioral health services as well as
substance use disorder treatment, to
ensure coordinated and holistic care
Maintaining A Strong Safety Net
The Catholic health ministry is
committed to serving those in need, young
and old, throughout every stage of life, and
to advocating on their behalf. We support:
- Preservation and strengthening
of the Medicare and Medicaid
programs to protect the health and
well-being of seniors and vulnerable
low-income individuals
- Continuing the state option for
Medicaid coverage expansion for all
low-income individuals and ensuring
vigorous Congressional oversight of
state Medicaid waivers
- Efforts to improve care coordination
and quality outcomes in Medicare,
Medicaid and other safety net programs
through innovative measures such as
telehealth services
- Policies to provide adequate and
sustainable financing, particularly for
disproportionate share hospitals and rural
communities, to ensure the ability of
health care providers to provide quality,
compassionate care
- Efforts to address prescription
drug pricing and transparency, and
preserving access to affordable drugs
for low-income individuals through the
340(b) drug discount program
Strengthening Aging and Chronic Care Services
CHA
strongly supports excellence in care for
older persons, advanced care planning,
chronic care management and efforts to
coordinate and integrate person-centered
and age-friendly health care services along
the continuum of care. We support:
- Improved access to quality palliative care
for those suffering the pain and stress of
serious illness, as a core component of
the health care system
- Sustainable financing for long-term
care facilities and services
- Improved coordination of care for aging
and chronically ill patients
- Choices for elders and persons with
disabilities to receive long-term care
services in the most appropriate care
setting, whether at home, in the
community (such as PACE) or in a facility
Protecting Life and Ensuring Conscience Protection
Mission
and identity are integral and indispensable
aspects of Catholic health care. We
support measures that allow our providers
the freedom to serve, protect and defend
human life from conception to natural
death. We will work to:
- Preserve and strengthen existing
provider conscience protections
that allow us to provide care consistent
with our faith
- Advocate policies that acknowledge
our religious, ethical and moral values
Improving the Health and Well-being of Communities: In addition to providing care, the
Catholic health ministry is committed
to population health and improving the
health and well-being of our communities.
We support policies to:
- Eliminate disparities in health care
access, services, quality and outcomes
- Fund programs that address the social
determinants of health including
housing and food security, education,
discrimination, poverty and violence
- Further our mission to care for
those in need through community
benefit programs, strengthening
not-for- profit health care and
protecting tax-exempt status
- Address social justice issues to eliminate
human trafficking, protect immigrants
and their access to health care and
promote environmental responsibility