If Pennsylvania does not expand its Medicaid program in 2014 under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the impacts could be "devastating financially" for hospitals, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
Paula Bussard, senior vice president for policy and regulatory services at the Hospital and Healthsysterm Association of Pennsylvania, said in the report that hospitals that serve large amounts of low-income patients, uninsured or on Medicaid, would be hit hardest.
Over the next 10 years, each state will be affected by Medicare and Medicaid cuts called for in the PPACA. For Pennsylvania, that figure amounts to roughly $7.7 billion, which includes a substantial amount from reduced disproportionate share payments, according to the report.
If hospitals, such as those in Pennsylvania, also lose out on Medicaid funds slated in the PPACA's program expansion, reimbursement reductions would put many on life support.
"When you remove a critical part of the act like this [Medicaid expansion], it leads to a lot of questions and concerns about the viability and credibility of the remaining initiatives," Mike Chirieleison, president of the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania, said in the report.
Paula Bussard, senior vice president for policy and regulatory services at the Hospital and Healthsysterm Association of Pennsylvania, said in the report that hospitals that serve large amounts of low-income patients, uninsured or on Medicaid, would be hit hardest.
Over the next 10 years, each state will be affected by Medicare and Medicaid cuts called for in the PPACA. For Pennsylvania, that figure amounts to roughly $7.7 billion, which includes a substantial amount from reduced disproportionate share payments, according to the report.
If hospitals, such as those in Pennsylvania, also lose out on Medicaid funds slated in the PPACA's program expansion, reimbursement reductions would put many on life support.
"When you remove a critical part of the act like this [Medicaid expansion], it leads to a lot of questions and concerns about the viability and credibility of the remaining initiatives," Mike Chirieleison, president of the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania, said in the report.
More Articles on Medicaid Expansion:
CBO: Supreme Court Decision to Make Medicaid Expansion Optional Saves $84B
Public Hospitals Worried About States Rejecting Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Rick Perry: Texas Will Not Participate in Medicaid Expansion