Advocacy Priorities

The UnityPoint Health Advocacy Priorities provide an overview of the major priority policies and legislative measures impacting our health care system and communities. These priorities serve as a guide to identifying, analyzing and formulating solutions to issues requiring public policy action. In addition, the Legislative Agendas are used as a communications tool during interactions with our local, state and federal legislators to ensure a consistent message about our major policy and legislative priorities during legislative sessions.

2024 Priorities

• WORKFORCE
  • Eliminate health care workforce shortages, including streamlined licensure processes, enactment of multistate compacts, support of foreign-born providers, and opposition to mandated staffing ratios.
  • Promote health and well-being of our physicians, nurses and others.
  • Address violence against health care workers.
  • Support team-based care and top of license practice.
  • Build capacity for pipeline and growth programs that improve access for underrepresented communities to explore careers in health care.
  • Include private health care college initiatives in educational offerings and innovations.
• HEALTH CARE ACCESS AND COVERAGE
  • Support coverage efforts that facilitate individuals to secure affordable, comprehensive health insurance.
  • Enable access to affordable medications, including protection of the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
  • Expand virtual care and telehealth access.
  • Strengthen the care continuum for behavioral health, maternal health and rural health care services.
  • Remove barriers to timely care access, including limits on prior authorization and expansion of waiver benefits.
  • Authorize At Home service options, including hospital at home, primary care at home, palliative care at home and skilled nursing at home.
• SUSTAINABLE HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS
  • Encourage stable Medicare and Medicaid payments – whether inpatient, ambulatory, or home-based services.
  • Modernize Certificate of Need (CON) requirements to promote efficient health care investments while keeping care local.
  • Strengthen value-based care programming and financing, including total cost of care options such as ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations) and PACE (Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly).
  • Protect against cybersecurity and emergency preparedness threats.
  • Maintain nonprofit status and financial viability for community health care providers.
  • Reduce administrative burden and regulatory red tape that misdirects resources from high-quality, direct patient care.