Three New Hampshire hospitals are suing CMS and the state of Vermont over the Medicaid rates Vermont pays to out-of-state hospitals, according to the New Hampshire Business Review.
The three hospitals — Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, Cheshire Medical Center in Keene and Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont — allege the Vermont Agency of Human Services established lower Medicaid rates for patients treated at New Hampshire hospitals than those cared for at Vermont hospitals. The lawsuit claims CMS approved the allegedly discriminatory rates, according to the report.
The lawsuit alleges Vermont reimburses New Hampshire hospitals at a base rate of $2,900 for a Medicaid patient, but pays Vermont hospitals as much as $9,273. Vermont also pays out-of-state hospitals less for outpatient services, according to the lawsuit.
The Vermont Agency of Human Services did not reply to the New Hampshire Business Review's request for comment.