The healthcare industry is a complicated world to navigate, and not just for patients—hospitals themselves need help keeping track of policies, governmental affairs, the workforce and more, and the Kentucky Hospital Association is here to help.
The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) represents 128 healthcare organizations, and it allows those in the industry to speak with one voice to state and federal legislators. That’s according to KHA’s Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations Jim Musser, who spoke with WHOP News on Tuesday.
Of those 128 hospitals, about 47 percent of those are considered rural hospitals, and they face their own unique challenges, including staff shortages, Medicaid and Medicare complications and more. When HR 1, also known as the Big Beautiful Bill, was passed by the United States House of Representatives earlier this year, it contained some harsh cuts to Medicaid and the healthcare system.
Musser says while they are alarmed by that, they’re not in panic mode just yet—they’re continuing to work with Kentucky’s federal delegates to see if something can change before the cuts come into effect in 2028.
In Kentucky, around 75 to 80 percent of patients are using some form of Medicaid or Medicare, and neither of those programs pay for the full cost of care, which Musser says creates its own struggles.
If HR 1 did come to be fully enacted, it cuts $2.5 billion dollars from state healthcare starting in 2028, which Musser says means hospitals would have to start making difficult decisions when it comes to available health care programs. It could also result in the potential closure of some hospitals, though they can’t be sure of what that number might be.
As for the medical staff shortage, Musser says they’re glad to partner with the Kentucky Career and Technical College System to overcome barriers stopping students from pursuing higher education.
Musser urged everyone to support their local hospital and help keep it a part of your communities, because no one wants to take a multi-hour drive for care when they’re sick, and those hospitals play a big role not just in healthcare, but in the local economy.
He also spoke about the KHA’s partnership with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and numerous other organizations to offer the Food is Medicine program in the state. He says it would allow medical professionals to provide specialized food boxes to help maintain healthy diets for those battling with illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease.
The Kentucky Hospital Association is also traveling across the state on a listening tour currently, as they visit with hospitals and health care providers on every level to discuss what challenges they are facing and how the KHA can best help tackle those issues.
You can find out more about the Kentucky Hospital Association, their goals and advocacy efforts, by visiting them online at kyha.com.
You can listen to the interview in it’s entirety below: