STATEMENT FROM THE HEALTH SYSTEM ALLIANCE OF ARIZONA REGARDING GOVERNOR DUCEY SIGNING THE HEALTH CARE INVESTMENT ACT
Phoenix, AZ- The Health System Alliance of Arizona Executive Director Jennifer Carusetta issued the following statement regarding Governor Doug Ducey signing the Health Care Investment Act (H.B. 2668):
“On behalf of the Health System Alliance of Arizona, and the more than 76,000 employees of Banner Health, HonorHealth, Dignity Health, Tenet Healthcare and Northern Arizona Healthcare, we thank Governor Doug Ducey for signing the Health Care Investment Act.
“The priority of our hospital systems is to ensure world-class, quality care for the people of Arizona. The Health Care Investment Act will provide the critical resources needed to meet the growing demand for services across the state. The diverse coalition supporting this bill shows how important a strong health care delivery system is for our current COVID-19 response and for the overall health of the state.
“We also extend our gratitude to Representative Cobb and Senator Gowan for their leadership and innovative approach to addressing the challenges facing the health care industry. Together, we can weather the current and future challenges and keep Arizona healthy.”
The Health Care Investment Act, sponsored by Senator David Gowan and Representative Regina Cobb, establishes an outpatient assessment on hospitals that would generate $354 million. These dollars would be used to draw down $1.1 billion in federal matching dollars to address the Medicaid reimbursement rate shortfall for hospitals and health care providers.