In a statement submitted to the Senate Finance Committee on May 14, the American Hospital Association emphasized the need to strengthen domestic medical supply chains and reduce vulnerabilities tied to recent tariffs.
Here are four notes:
- The AHA warned that the fragility of supply chains is endangering patient care, with U.S. hospitals still heavily reliant on foreign-made medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Nearly 70% of medical devices used in the U.S. are made overseas and about 30% of active pharmaceutical ingredients are sourced from China, the organization wrote.
- As of early 2025, there were 270 drugs on the FDA’s shortage list and nearly 60% of the shortages have lasted over two years, doubling from 2019. The AHA also used Hurricane Helene and the closure of Baxter’s North Carolina plant as an example of an incident that had nationwide effects on supply.
- The AHA is urging Congress to reintroduce two bipartisan bills, the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply Act and the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Risk Assessment Act. The bills would enable the federal government to map supply chain vulnerabilities and prevent future shortages.
- The AHA also suggested that current tariff exceptions for pharmaceuticals be maintained and that new exceptions be extended to medical devices and other critical supplies. Without exemptions, the organization stressed that current tariffs could endanger hospital operations and patient access.
