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Sacred Heart Hospital Stands To Lose $15 Million From State Medicaid Cuts
April 9, 2011
Sacred Heart Hospital stands to lose $15 million in funding it receives for services it provides to low-income patients covered by Medicaid under the state budget proposed by the Florida Senate.
The state Senate’s proposed budget is threatening Florida’s health care safety net by imposing what amounts to a 35 percent Medicaid reimbursement cut on all Florida hospitals, according to the hospital. The funding cuts would have the most impact on 15 safety net hospital systems which deliver nearly half of all charity care and Medicaid care to patients in Florida.
Based in Pensacola, Sacred Heart Health System is one of those 15 hospitals which are now being asked to absorb a large part of the Senate’s proposed Medicaid cuts.
“These cuts in Medicaid funding will severely reduce access to health care services for those who are poor and vulnerable in our community,” Laura Kaiser, president and CEO of Sacred Heart Health System, said.
“Our mission is to care for everyone, regardless of one’s ability to pay. Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals have always been low – actually less than our cost for providing care,” Kaiser added. “But these new cuts are extreme and will significantly reduce our ability to continue vital services that are life saving and life giving. For example, we provide the only Children’s Hospital in Northwest Florida – if we are forced to cut back our pediatric services or reduce staff, children will have nowhere else to go.”
The $720 million being slashed from just 15 safety net hospital systems represents 45 percent of the total $1.8 billion in program cuts that the Senate is leveling on all 200 hospitals in the state.
“These cuts, which are unprecedented in their enormity, will hurt patients, hospitals and communities across Florida,” said Tony Carvalho, President of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida (SNHAF), which represents the state’s leading teaching, public and children’s hospitals. “We are urging the Senate to maintain funding for the Medically Needy and Medicaid for the Aged and Disabled programs, similar to what is being recommended by the Florida House.”
Comments
13 Responses to “Sacred Heart Hospital Stands To Lose $15 Million From State Medicaid Cuts”
jcellop said….”Obamas healthcare reform bill is what has forced our governor to have to make these Medicaid cutbacks…gov Scott didn’t do it just for kicks…”
I said…(doubles over once again,rolls on the floor with laughter) Stop it! You’re hurting me! The health care bill has barely kicked in….
(chortle) Gov Scott doesn’t do *anything* for kicks. He does it for the money he and his pals can make in the future.
Thanks for the laughs. Say, did you hear the one about….
This has nothing to do with the health care bill. It’s Republicans trying to make cuts on the backs of the neediest people. Sad but true.
How long does it take you guys to actually know HOW the government
actually governs? Who does what and who has what power.
When ANY Governor quits taking all the government federal handouts
for THEIR states, then and only then will I believe that they get that
WE ARE ALL BROKE AND THEY HAVE NO MONEY IN THE COFFERS
ANYMORE. The robbing peter to pay paul doesn’t work and borrowing
has to STOP.
As for anything they do right NOW. It IS a train wreck, but nobody
knows their DEAD.
It’s like the worse dysfunctional family I have ever seen. We ARE going
to be handing out I.O.U.’s in the near future.
Obamas healthcare reform bill is what has forced our governor to have to make these Medicaid cutbacks…gov Scott didn’t do it just for kicks… There are many other states (governors) that are forced to make the same type of Medicaid cuts, as well.
Criminal! And Congress has not taken 1 cent cut anywhere. And Blue Cross just paid an $8 million exit deal to a CEO. I think these cuts are way off balance.
As far as reporting Medicare fraud, that is a joke. My elderly mother was given a host of tests, some of which were not even FDA approved. Further she was not given the ABN which by law she was supposed to have been given.
At first, they said Medicare would not pay and it was thousands………then, suddenly on the EOB, they paid even though it says Medicare will not pay for non FDA approved tests. Hmmmmm. Some scam somewhere, to be sure.
We called the number and it was a recording like from a black hole and we only got that after “Press1, press 2, press 1 press3 ad infinitum….”
We left the message……. No return call, nothing. Twice we tried till we realized there is probably one guy at a desk. It’s a joke.
No one knows what they are doing anymore. Everything worked like a train out of control, only we have run out of track. Now what??
If they had just hired some people to check all the fraud in medicaid and
medicare the adjustments would have paid for the peoples jobs who did
the investigations and it’s really hard telling how much we would not have
had to CUT in this whole country let alone in this hospital.
If you see something WRONG in your statements from Medicare
and Medicaid don’t look the other way, pick up the phone.
If you see something wrong in your town, pick up the phone.
If you see something wrong on your block, pick up the phone.
If you see something wrong in your bills of any kind, PICK UP
YOUR COTTON PICKING PHONE!!!!!
It’s up to ALL of us to make a difference. It may be YOUR job
you save next year.
Well said eab. I don’t like to call them out but you are exactly correct.
jcellop said….”hows THAT for some measurable HOPE AND CHANGE!??……in addition, all of the bigmouth, bush-hating liberals at my husbands company (who were in dizzy love with mr hope and change) are now having to face UNEMPLOYMENT, due to the company closing in a month!”
I said….(after doubling over with laughter) It’s always kinda amusing to see people post who are yelling about blame on someone or some group without even realizing it’s a completely different group causing the “changes”. The changes now afoot are Republican driven. Your newspaper is more than a year old.
As far as the unemployment goes, good luck with that. Rickie and his cronies are trying to make certain there won’t be much help while people look for nonexistent jobs. If your husband does not have a job already lined up, you may come to love the Democrats.
@jcellop, this is a FL state Republican deal here, nothing to do with Obama and Washington. I don’t like Obama and what he is doing, but lets keep our facts straight. As far as I’m concerned they are all crooks regardless of party.
Rick Scott probably wouldn’t be for all of these cuts in Medicaid if he was still able to steal from the system like before!
This is a republican move!
I know reason is tough to argue with some types but Rick Scott as governor of Florida has been pushing cuts like these to reduce spending in the state of Florida. Check to see who is voting for or against these measures and you will find who is the cause instead of blaming a particular group. An off the cuff blame is easy but finding who is actually involved takes a tiny bit more research. The truth can be found…look for it!!
hows THAT for some measurable HOPE AND CHANGE!??……in addition, all of the bigmouth, bush-hating liberals at my husbands company (who were in dizzy love with mr hope and change) are now having to face UNEMPLOYMENT, due to the company closing in a month!