- cross-posted to:
- aboringdystopia@lemmit.online
- cross-posted to:
- aboringdystopia@lemmit.online
Critics warn the change to Medicaid will be particularly harmful to rural hospitals struggling to stay afloat.
Donald Trump’s new tax and spending law will likely force more than half the states to reduce payments to doctors and hospitals that treat Medicaid patients, a change critics warn will be particularly harmful to rural hospitals struggling to stay afloat.
Medicaid, the joint state-federal health insurance program for low-income people, reimburses doctors, hospitals and nursing facilities for treating enrollees. But in many cases, the program doesn’t fully cover the cost of care, straining providers that serve a large share of Medicaid patients.
To help providers cover losses and continue to serve poorer populations, the federal government allows the 41 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have contracted with Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) to run their Medicaid programs to direct them to pay providers more — in some cases, as much as commercial plans.
Not a great headline, some may interpret it as limiting payments by low income people.
We knew this was going to happen, we said it loudly since the idea was presented. Hospital income is 30-60% Medicare and Medicaid payments, rural and critical access hospitals representing the majority of those on the 60% side of things.
This is why the last couple of months had seen a quiet wave of layoffs across hospitals. Anticipation.
There’s no charity aspect here, even with the so called “nonprofit” versions. They can and willcut staff to skeleton crews (in unregulated states), and even shut down, once corporate fails to achieve requisite profits. Most clinics/PCPs are owned by venture capitalists now, so those clinics can shut down too.
Expect access to medical care to decline each and every time MAGA touches Medicaid or Medicare.