A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives has sent a letter to House leadership, urging them to stop impending cuts to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program. The letter, authored by Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), was signed by 141 members of Congress.
The Medicaid DSH program faces an $8 billion reduction in funding for fiscal year 2026, with changes set to begin on October 1. The letter warns that such cuts would significantly reduce the program's annual budget, potentially harming hospitals already facing financial challenges.
"Our hospitals are already under increasing financial strain," the letter states, "and reductions of this size would push vulnerable rural and other safety net hospitals — and the patients they serve — into peril."
The American Hospital Association has been actively involved in advocating against these cuts, emphasizing the critical role of DSH payments in supporting hospitals that serve low-income communities.
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