Election 2026 Roundtable: Legislation to watch, AI, and reasons for hope

Lawmakers in Congress will have to consider legislation that’s important to hospitals, and often some of those laws have a short shelf life.

Some legislation supporting rural hospitals actually expires at the end of the year, before members of the new Congress take office, and some of those bills are renewed on an annual basis.Lawmakers in the next Congress will also face pressure to look more closely at artificial intelligence, including its growing use in healthcare.

In the final segment from the Chief Healthcare Executive® Election 2026 Roundtable, the panelists look at key legislation for hospitals and questions about AI’s growing use in the healthcare industry.

They also shared some reasons they are optimistic about the potential for change during the next congressional session.

Our panel featured three experts with deep knowledge of federal policy.

Lisa Kidder Hrobsky - She’s the senior vice president of federal relations, advocacy and political affairs at the American Hospital Association.

Robert E. Andrews - The CEO of the Health Transformation Alliance, he spent 24 years in Congress representing part of New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Danielle Turnipseed - She’s the chief public policy officer of the AAMC, the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Legislation to watch

Some funding mechanisms important to hospitals and health systems are slated to expire at the end of the calendar year, unless Congress moves to extend the legislation.

The legislation includes funding streams for the Medicare Dependent Hospital Program, which offers help to patients with a higher percentage of Medicare patients. Another program for patients with low volumes of Medicare patients is also facing an expiration date. Both programs provide vital support to rural hospitals.

Congress has typically extended the programs, as part of broader federal spending packages.

“I don't ever want to expect Congress to do anything because you never know. But they usually do move the extenders along with whatever appropriations or whatever bill they're working at. So I think we're probably safe with the extenders,” Kidder Hrobsky said.

But she adds that she’d like to see Congress look at more lasting solutions.

Kidder Hrobsky said, “The question becomes at some point: What do you do with the extenders? Do you just extend them every year, or do you try to take a look at the programs and make certain that the Medicare-dependent hospital or low-volume hospitals can be strengthened so that those hospitals stay in their communities?”

Looking at AI

The next Congress needs to get up to speed on AI in healthcare, and lawmakers need to consider its expanded use in patient care.

Andrews says he wants Congress to take steps to ensure that AI in healthcare is used safely. He says he wants to see an “objective, clinically qualified group” set appropriate guidelines for AI in patient care.

“I hope that's what Congress does, to be sure that as AI is more and more used in the delivery of care, not just in the scheduling of appointments or the billing, but the actual delivery of care, that it's done in a way that's really safe,” Andrews said.

Turnipseed also endorsed a more thoughtful approach to the use of AI in healthcare.

“I take heed of some of the founders, some of the leaders in this field, putting up a flag of caution and saying, we have to do this more thoughtfully, or it could have unintended consequences,” she said.

Why they’re hopeful

At the close of the conversation, the panelists shared reasons for optimism with the next Congress and in the healthcare industry in the months ahead.

Turnipseed said she sees more people that are energized and taking charge of their health and looking for the right answers, even at a time of misinformation.

“I love to see that people are participatory, not just in government, but in the direction of their lives for themselves and for their families, not having things just imposed upon them, asking the right questions, and frankly, turning to institutions and providers who are able to help navigate and provide science-based, credible answers. So that's what gives me hope,” she said.

Kidder Hrobsky said she sees potential for agreement on price transparency legislation, especially with growing support about giving people information “to get the healthcare that's best for them.”

“I think transparency would be a nice thing, and I'm optimistic and hopeful that we might be able to get it done,” she said.

Andrews said he’s encouraged by advances in cancer research and treatment that are helping people live longer.

“We're waking up every morning, and cancer is less and less and less lethal,” he said, adding, “There is a cancer revolution happening, and it's a great one.”

More insights

Check out the previous installments of our Election 2026 Roundtable.

Segment One: The impact on health policy

Segment Two: Medicaid cuts and rural hospitals at risk

Segment Three: The affordability of care