This week, more than 1,000 hospital and health system leaders came to Washington, D.C., united by a shared responsibility: to ensure every community has access to high quality, affordable care — today and in the years ahead.
At the AHA’s 2026 Annual Membership Meeting, we heard directly from members of Congress and senior administration officials. We discussed the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing hospitals and health systems. And we met with lawmakers and their staffs to urge action to protect access to care, address health care affordability and strengthen the health care workforce.
But beyond the meetings and the messages, one theme was clear: Hospitals are leading — and must continue to lead — the way toward a healthier America.
That message resonated throughout the week. Senators and representatives from both parties — along with administration leaders — repeatedly emphasized how essential it is to understand what health care looks like on the ground in communities across the country. Real world experience brings policy debates into focus. It reminds decision makers what’s at stake for patients, families and caregivers.
Nowhere is that clearer than in the conversation about affordability. Health care affordability is at the center of today’s policy debates and kitchen table conversations alike, and hospitals and health systems have both a responsibility and a leadership role to play.
As AHA Chair Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist, said so eloquently, “No one is better positioned to advocate for patients than hospitals and health systems, and the clinicians who care for them. We must step into a convening role to address affordability in a meaningful way. This challenge can’t be solved by any single sector acting alone. Instead of pointing fingers, we need to all share accountability and have honest, open collaboration.”
Hospitals and health systems are deeply committed to providing high quality, accessible and affordable care. When we talk about affordability, it is critical that we tell the full hospital story — not only about the innovations already underway, but also the solutions that truly reduce the cost of care rather than simply shifting costs among stakeholders.
AHA Chair elect Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health, captured this responsibility perfectly when he said, “Telling the hospital story isn’t just part of advocacy. It’s what makes our advocacy work. … When we tell them well, we don’t just inform policy, we shape it.”
Across the country, hospitals are investing in preventive care and care coordination programs that help patients manage chronic conditions, avoid unnecessary hospital visits and stay healthier at home. They are using new technologies to make care more convenient and more affordable. Predictive analytics, advanced screening and early detection are catching disease earlier, while digital tools are reducing preventable admissions, infections and complications. These efforts improve outcomes — and they lower costs for patients, families and the entire health care system.
At the same time, hospitals are advancing policy solutions to improve value and affordability by improving the health of individuals and communities, reducing regulatory burden and administrative waste, and accelerating care transformation and delivery system reform.
The powerful and impactful stories that occur every day in every hospital and health system across America are stories we must continue to share with our lawmakers. These stories cut through the noise. They rise above politics. And they remind policymakers what is truly at stake.
We have seen time and time again that when America faces difficult situations, it turns to its hospitals. And even as hospitals navigate significant challenges, I remain optimistic about the future. Resilience and innovation are woven into hospitals’ DNA, and our field has a long history of adapting and emerging stronger.
At a moment when communities face economic pressure, workforce strains and rising health needs, hospitals are not retreating — they are leading.
As AHA Immediate Past Chair Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health, reminded us, “In challenging moments, we don’t step back. We step up.”
