New Mexico hospitals, clinics cite concerns over health care reform
The most recent version of the legislation, the revised Better Care Reconciliation Act, was released Thursday by
At issue are provisions that likely would reduce spending for -- or trigger an elimination of -- a much-discussed Medicaid expansion that New Mexico OK'd in 2013. In addition, proposed changes to the traditional Medicaid program, which covers the poorest population, are expected to result in less federal funding for the state, if the bill passes.
'Devastating to rural health care'
"As proposed, we really think the funding reduction for Medicaid that's incorporated into
"It is a concern to us, and it is a concern, frankly, to every hospital in the state of
The Medicaid expansion, as well as heightened public awareness about Medicaid, resulted in nearly 267,000 adult New Mexicans enrolled, according to a report by the
At
"That's half the patients that come to Memorial, and I would submit that it's a major portion of who goes to MountainView (
Hospitals, via their emergency rooms, are obligated to treat all people who show up at their doors, regardless of a person's insurance coverage level or ability to pay.
Hospitals have more recently been getting paid for patients that historically they've treated without reimbursement, Harris said.
Governor responds
The bill's likely effects are a reduction in the number of patients with expanded Medicaid and an increase in the number of uninsured patients -- something hospitals struggled with before the Affordable Care Act, Harris said. And reimbursement rates for remaining Medicaid enrollees could decline.
Gov. Susana Martinez OK'd the Medicaid expansion in
"The fact is, Obamacare has been a complete disaster, I want to see a plan that protects those most vulnerable New Mexicans while cutting healthcare costs -- which skyrocketed under Obamacare -- putting hardworking families in jeopardy. While I'm still thoroughly reviewing the new bill with additional amendments, there are parts of it which I find encouraging. For instance: The bill calls for at least
Continued Martinez: "More work needs to be done, but it's encouraging that while
Congressional delegation
"Rural hospitals really stepped up when we passed the ACA," he said. "They came to the table, and they accepted lower payment rates in exchange for covering people who were not covered -- people who they were giving health care to who were not able to pay for it, the uninsured who were showing up in their emergency rooms. This bill rolls that coverage back, but it doesn't give them the higher payment rates they were receiving before."
"This bill will continue to evolve as it moves through the legislative process," Pearce said. "I look forward to reviewing that final product and how it will assist New Mexicans. It is my hope that
"It still guts spending for Medicaid and would force almost 300,000 New Mexicans to lose their health care," he said in a statement. "It still would devastate
Cuts in federal funds proposed
"
The Medicaid expansion initially launched in
"The impact of the ACA is that we're now serving about 35,000 less uninsured, and we've been able to expand capacity by 10 to 12 percent," he said.
"Were Medicaid expansion to be rolled back -- and the predictions nationally are that we would go back to the same level of uninsured we saw back in 2013 -- we could lose 200 clinicians. And basically, for one-third to one-quarter of our patients, we would not be able to serve them."
Patients wouldn't be turned away, Roddy said, but they might have to wait months to see a doctor.
Under the
Under the proposed reform, care for current
In some states, including
States could opt to begin paying more into their Medicaid programs to minimize the effects of reduced federal payments to states.
But Sen.
"If we only drew down
Asked what he believes
Smith said any federal reductions should be made over a decade, with states being told exactly how much spending will be cut. That gives more time to plan.
Harris, CEO of MMC, said he believes the debate boils down to "is health care a right or is it a privilege?" The current bill creates a lot of uncertainty for low-income residents.
"If we continue with things like
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