Unfortunately, the House passed H.R. 5273 by voice vote WITHOUT relief for POHs. While this is disappointing, the bill now heads to the Senate and it is doubtful they will consider it in the near term as the Senate schedule is very tight leading up to the election. The industry is well positioned to gain relief for POHs there. In the House, the bill was considered under suspension of the rules, and while two-thirds majority was required, a vote was not recorded as no member of the House requested one.

John Wilkerson of Inside Health Policy wrote:

Some lobbyists expect the Medicare hospital legislation that the House passed Tuesday (June 7) to run into obstacles in the Senate, where Finance Committee members are expected to add provisions that will make it difficult to pass the bill. The lobbyists say it's possible those provisions include lifting a ban on physician-owned hospitals and reversing a wage-index policy that benefits hospitals in a few states, mostly Massachusetts, to the detriment of hospitals in other states.

Physician Hospitals of America Executive Director John Richardson said there is support among senators for legislation that would lift the ban on physician-owned hospitals.

"We cannot speak for any senator so you will need to speak to them directly," he said by email. "However, I can say we have meaningful support in the Senate for POH relief and will be looking at opportunities to help ensure these higher-quality, lower cost centers of health care excellence are treated like every other hospital participating in Medicare when it comes to expansion."