Coalition to Protect America's Healthcare

WHAT IS THE COALTION TO PROTECT AMERICA'S HEALTH CARE?

The Coalition is a unique organization of hospitals, national, state, regional and metropolitan associations united with the business community behind one goal:  to create television, radio and print advertising that seeks to protect and preserve the financial viability of America’s hospitals.  The Coalition is a tax-exempt organization with an independent and diverse board representing all sectors of membership.

WHY IS THE COALITION UNIQUE?

The Coalition has one mission…to mount massive advertising campaigns on a sustaining basis on behalf of the entire hospital field – efforts that are unprecedented in their scope and inclusiveness.  In addition to thousands of individual hospitals and health systems, Coalition members include every major national hospital association as well as each state, regional and metropolitan hospital association.  Coalition ads are triggered solely by threats to the stability and well-being of hospitals.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

To do its job, the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care relies on financial support from hospitals, associations and businesses.  These voluntary contributions are used solely to support the research, development and placement of advertising supporting hospitals’ advocacy agenda.  Not one cent is spent on salaries... Coalition staff and virtually all overhead are donated in-kind by Coalition partners.  Therefore, every single penny is devoted to the Coalition’s advertising mission. 

WHY CAN'T THE DUES HOSPITALS PAY TO VARIOUS HOSPITAL ASSOCIATIONS SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS?

Developing and placing national radio, television and print advertising is extremely expensive, especially over a sustained period of time.  This cost is far more than any single association can underwrite and still provide the full range of advocacy services that their members expect.  Coalition advertising complements and supports the regular advocacy activities, including one-on-one lobbying and building grassroots, that associations use every day.  In addition, the Coalition is an excellent example of the hospital and business communities’ willingness to harness their collective resources, and, by doing so, accomplish far more than if working alone. 

WHEN WAS THE COALITION FOUNDED?

Developing and placing national radio, television and print advertising is extremely expensive, especially over a sustained period of time.  This cost is far more than any single association can underwrite and still provide the full range of advocacy services that their members expect.  Coalition advertising complements and supports the regular advocacy activities, including one-on-one lobbying and building grassroots, that associations use every day.  In addition, the Coalition is an excellent example of the hospital and business communities’ willingness to harness their collective resources, and, by doing so, accomplish far more than if working alone.

IS THE COALITION EFFECTIVE?

• May through September 2007, print ads drilled home the point that cuts to hospital care brought about through new regulations on hospital inpatient payments would hurt patients.  The ads supported a lobbying effort that resulted in significant reductions in the size of the cuts.

 

• In February 2007, Coalition ads featuring a premature infant and an elderly heart-attack victim started running in opposition of more than $100 billion in cuts to hospitals in the administration’s budget proposal.   Telephone calls to members of Congress instigated by the ads started flooding congressional offices.  The message?  Cuts of any kind threaten patient care.

 

• In February 2006, the Coalition launched TV, radio and print ads that helped convince members of the Senate Budget Committee to reject cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement proposed by the Administration’s Fiscal Year ’07 budget. 

 

• Early in 2005, Coalition ads played a role in a successful effort in the Senate to strip $14 billion in proposed Medicaid cuts from the Fiscal Year 2006 budget proposal.  The ads warned that cuts in health care funding would hurt the most vulnerable: children, seniors and the disabled.

 

• In late 2003, Coalition TV and radio ads helped persuade members of Congress to pass a Medicare prescription drug bill that included $25 billion in payment improvements for hospitals. 

 

• Earlier in 2003, targeted Coalition print and radio ads helped deliver a knockout punch that defeated the House Budget Resolution that proposed cutting Medicare and Medicaid payments by more than $300 billion over 10 years.

 

• The 2000 effort to oppose the cuts imposed by the BBA resulted in a change in law that returned $12.5 billion in Medicare and Medicaid funding to hospitals – and the Coalition’s advertising played a critical role in that victory.

 

• In 2002, Coalition advertising was instrumental in convincing Congress to include provider payment improvements in the Medicare prescription drug bill.   Unfortunately, due to the change in congressional leadership brought about by the elections, the bill never went to final passage.

 

• In addition, the Coalition’s advertising moved public opinion and established a base of knowledge in communities about the financial pressures facing hospitals.  Survey research completed by Public Opinion Strategies revealed that, in markets that saw no Coalition advertising, 42% of respondents said hospitals faced "good times," and 36% said hospitals faced "bad times." 

 

• In markets where all of the Coalition advertising was seen, there was a dramatic difference – only 27% reported "good times" and 55% said hospitals were facing "bad times." 

 

 

WHAT IS THE COALTION'S AGENDA?

With the growing federal budget deficit, and with history as our guide, we continue to see pressure for Medicare and Medicaid cuts.  As you can see, our work is cut out for us.  

 

Fighting cuts in payment will not be enough.  Coalition ads must help make the case that hospitals need payment improvements to meet the challenges of their expanding missions, whether homeland security and the threat of biological attacks or the menace to public health by epidemics.  As the battle lines are drawn, the Coalition’s ads will complement and support the lobbying and grassroots activities.