Articles
Advocacy & Public Policy, Legislation and Legislative Advocacy
Our Message to Every Lawmaker and Candidate: We Care and We Vote
As we prepare for the 2026 midterm elections and the campaign season begins to heat up, it’s important for all health care providers to speak up, ask hard questions of candidates and evaluate their thinking on the issues that affect our field.
Medicare Advantage
Providing Solutions to Address Challenges with MA Plans
More than 34.1 million Americans were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2025, accounting for 54% of all Medicare beneficiaries. We have seen enrollment in MA plans increase significantly over the past two decades, and the Congressional Budget Office projects that MA enrollment will continue to grow, potentially reaching 64% of eligible beneficiaries in the next 10 years.
Organ/Tissue/Blood Donation
Amid Severe Blood Shortages, Nearly All of Us Can Offer the Gift of Life
Each year in the U.S., more than 4.5 million lives are saved by blood transfusions, and about 1 in 5 people admitted to the hospital will need blood.
Rural issues, Access to Care in Vulnerable Communities
Supporting Access to Care in Rural Communities
More than 57 million rural Americans depend on their hospital not only as an important source of care but also as a critical component of their area's economic and social framework. Rural hospitals also face the same difficulties shared by many hospitals — including financial stress, workforce shortages, and inadequate reimbursement from government payers like Medicare and Medicaid, just to name a few. The AHA is engaged in many advocacy efforts to support rural hospitals and ensure access to care in rural communities.
Commercial Insurer Accountability
Working to Ensure Commercial Health Insurers Do Their Part to Support Patient Care
Every year tens of millions of Americans dig deep into their pocketbooks to pay for health insurance plans that will cover both preventive and necessary care for individuals and families.
Advocacy & Public Policy, Legislation and Legislative Advocacy
A New Year of Working Together to Advance Health in America
Congress returned to Washington this week with a full plate of issues to contend with in the short term as it defines its legislative agenda for the remainder of 2026.
Leadership, Strategic Planning
Not Just for the Holidays: Hospitals and Caregivers Brighten Lives Every Day
The giving spirit of the holiday season blazes brightly every day of the year in the care that hospitals and health systems provide. No one is turned away from their doors.
Workforce
Strengthening Today’s Workforce and Preparing for the Future
The AHA recently released its 2026 Health Care Workforce Scan — an annual report that examines the current trends in the health care workforce.
Patient Safety Initiative
Patient Safety Continues to Improve Across America
If you had to describe a hospital’s mission, philosophy and guiding light with a single word, safety would sit at the top of the list.
Telling the Hospital Story, Promoting Healthy Communities
Why Gratitude Can Be a Powerful Medicine
Imagine a powerful practice that strengthens human connection, improves well-being, boosts psychological health and supports a healthy workplace culture.