SESSION PREVIEW

The November 8th elections were historic, as Arkansans elected both the state’s first female governor and first female lieutenant governor. Though there were few real surprises in the House and Senate races, there are 12 freshmen Senators and 26 freshmen Representatives. With so many new faces among our state's leaders, the Policy and Advocacy team will be hard at work educating the newcomers on hospitals' priorities.

• Protect Arkansas’s Medicaid Expansion program.

• Continue to preserve the funds collected from the Soft Drink Tax, a critical source of funding for the Medicaid Trust Fund.

• Vigilantly defend hospitals against new legislation that will present obstacles to delivering timely, effective care to Arkansans.

• Support legislation that aims to protect the safety of health care workers and includes funding for the installation and operation of the physical and non-physical tools that can help ensure that protection.

• Fight for adequate reimbursement to keep up with the rising costs of materials, drugs, supplies, and personnel.

• Collaborate with other stakeholders on how best to support and retain current health care workers and develop new channels for educating and training the health care workers of the future.