Olga Khabinskay Advocates for Healthcare Reform on Capitol Hill
Our Director of Operations, Olga Khabinskay, who serves as Board Chair of the Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA) and is a member of the Government Relations Committee, participated in one of the year's most significant healthcare advocacy events — HBMA Hill Day. Her participation in this critical advocacy initiative was directly related to her leadership positions within HBMA. The visit focused on addressing critical healthcare challenges with key U.S. legislators and policymakers.
Intensive Day of High-Level Meetings
As part of an intensive working day, Olga Khabinskay and the HBMA delegation conducted a series of strategic meetings with influential congressmen and senators. Key discussions included sessions with:
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and her Health Policy Advisor Katie Wood on the ROOT Act
Rep. John Joyce, MD (R-PA-13), focusing on physician perspectives on healthcare policy
Rep. Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA-09), discussing bipartisan healthcare solutions
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) with Legislative Assistant Kevin Chang
Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC-3) with Legislative Director McLean Piner
Senator Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS) with Legislative Aide Sarah Melone
Three Critical Healthcare Priorities
The HBMA delegation, led by Olga Khabinskay, focused on three essential healthcare reform areas:
1. Sustainable Medicare Reimbursement Reform The team advocated for permanent annual inflationary updates to Medicare payments, highlighting that inflation has outpaced Medicare reimbursement increases by over 30% since 2000. Key recommendations include stopping Medicare Sequestration payment reductions and restoring funding for MIPS Exceptional Performance bonuses.
2. Medicare Advantage Accountability Discussions centered on addressing the $84 billion in excess Medicare Advantage spending identified in MedPAC's March 2025 Report, while traditional Medicare payments continue to decline. The delegation pushed for passage of the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act and emphasized addressing "ghost networks" where 33% of providers have incorrect directory information.
3. No Surprises Act Improvements The team advocated for the bipartisan No Surprises Enforcement Act to strengthen prompt pay requirements for Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) determinations. They also pushed for increased CMS funding to better manage the IDR complaint process and proposed delaying the Advanced EOB requirement due to implementation concerns.
Building Bipartisan Support
Throughout the day, Olga Khabinskay and the HBMA team worked to build bipartisan consensus on healthcare issues that affect millions of Americans. The meetings spanned both Democratic and Republican offices, demonstrating HBMA's commitment to finding practical, non-partisan solutions to healthcare challenges.
What to wait
"These meetings represent crucial steps toward sustainable healthcare reform," noted Olga. "By bringing the real-world experiences of our member companies directly to Capitol Hill, we're helping lawmakers understand the practical implications of healthcare policy on patient care and provider sustainability."
The successful Hill Day reinforces HBMA's position as a leading voice in healthcare revenue cycle management and demonstrates our organization's commitment to advocacy at the highest levels of government.
Stay tuned for more updates — in our next issue, we'll share valuable insights and behind-the-scenes highlights from Capitol Hill.
***The Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA) is a national, non-profit professional association representing healthcare revenue cycle management companies that submit millions of claims annually on behalf of medical providers nationwide.
