Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) has introduced legislation to delay scheduled cuts to disproportionate share hospital payments for two years.
Sen. Wicker's bill is a companion to the DSH Relief Act of 2013, which Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) introduced earlier this year. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act calls for DSH payments to be significantly reduced over a period of years. This reduction was written into the law under the assumption that the expansion of Medicaid coverage would reduce the number of uninsured individuals.
Earlier this month, CMS issued a final rule on Medicaid DSH payments, cutting roughly $1.1 billion from the program over the next two fiscal years. Under the healthcare reform law, Medicaid DSH payments to hospitals will be cut by $18.1 billion from fiscal year 2014 to FY 2020.
More Articles on Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments:
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