The American Hospital Association endorsed the Democratic health reform bill as President Barack Obama and leaders in the U.S. House pushed for the bill's passage. Even though hospitals face reductions in payments from the federal Medicare health insurance program for the elderly under the proposed legislation, AMA representatives said the bill will extend coverage to 32 million people who have no medical care coverage. "For hospitals, reform holds the promise of better access to quality care for all," Rich Umbdenstock, president and chief executive officer of AHA, told the Chicago Tribune.
