Small manufacturers are ready to do big things. In our case, that means making the gloves and protective gear that doctors, nurses and industry rely on. And it means keeping that production at home.

Now, at long last, Washington might be giving American makers a fair shot to compete.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is asking for public input on incentives to help hospitals buy U.S.-made medical supplies. CMS is exploring a “Secure American Medical Supplies” designation for hospitals that source domestically. It also examines potential Medicare payment adjustments to help cover the higher costs of purchasing American.

For decades, hospitals have been nudged, often by price pressures, toward foreign-made products, and the healthcare industrial complex of distributors and middlemen followed suit. A new approach could finally level the playing field for domestic producers while strengthening our supply chain.

For manufacturers, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. We’re built, staffed and ready to compete. Our workers take pride in knowing that what they produce protects the people who care for our neighbors and families. We’re not asking for handouts, just the chance to compete on fair terms and deliver the reliability that American hospitals deserve.

This matters in small communities everywhere. When hospitals purchase from American producers, jobs remain in our manufacturing communities, tax dollars circulate locally, and our healthcare system becomes more secure.

Every box of gloves, masks and gowns that features a Made in the USA seal supports workers, businesses and families nationwide. It also preserves vital skills, like machining, fabric cutting and quality testing that too often vanish when production moves overseas.

Asking American healthcare providers, especially those receiving government reimbursement, to buy domestically made medical supplies is more than a policy debate. It’s about restoring pride in what American hands can build and ensuring that the next time our hospitals need protective gear, we can deliver without hesitation. That’s the promise of this moment.

CMS is accepting public comments until late March. Now is the time for hospitals, industrial plants, CEOs, health clinics, nursing schools, local officials and businesses that rely on personal protective equipment to speak up. Washington wants to hear what’s needed to make American-made supplies a lasting part of our healthcare system.

As a representative of the American Medical Manufacturers Association, the only voice for domestic makers of critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment, we believe this represents real progress. The CMS request is a step toward resilience, independence and pride in American craftsmanship. Your voice is critical to make change a reality.

Alison Bagwell is the CEO of American Armor Gloves, which produces FDA-compliant nitrile gloves yearly for medical and industrial use. /InsideSources