HJR26 Summary

• Urges Alabama's Congressional Delegation to prioritize making a new, equitable Medicare payment formula for all hospitals.

• Identifies that the current Medicare payment formula contains inequities in the wage variation factor, causing some hospitals nationwide to receive significantly higher payments for identical procedures than Alabama hospitals.

• Notes that approximately 40% of Alabama's patients are covered by Medicare, and the inequitable formula is crippling for many hospitals; 11 Alabama hospitals have closed since 2011 and 96% of rural hospitals statewide operate at a loss.

• Highlights that Alabama hospitals contribute $20 billion annually to the state economy, employ nearly 90,000 people directly, with rural hospitals contributing over $550 million in payroll and benefits yearly.

• Directs that copies of the resolution be provided to each member of the Alabama Congressional Delegation to communicate the legislature's strong support for resolving this decades-old problem.