Asa Hutchinson: “I have also filed an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill on this critically important issue. While my…”

“I have also filed an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill on this critically important issue. While my amendment, cosponsored by Senator Cleland, will not be considered relevant if the Senate invokes cloture on the supplemental appropriations bill this morning, I want to stress to my colleagues how important it is to the livelihood of hospitals across America who are struggling every day to survive and to meet growing health care demands. Cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, coupled with health care inflation and a dramatically growing health care worker shortage, are forcing many hospitals to shut down units, cut services, or close down entirely. This truly is an emergency situation, and Congress needs to take action. The amendment I am offering is based on bipartisan legislation I introduced called the Area Wage and Base Payment Improvement Act, which now has 26 cosponsors. It is designed to help rural hospitals keep pace with today's salary requirements for their workers by setting a minimum payment on the area wage index.”