Texas

unhappycamper

(60,364 posts) Sat Feb 15, 2014, 09:46 AM Feb 2014

Without Medicaid expansion, hospitals seek long-term solution

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/health-care/article/Without-Medicaid-expansion-hospitals-seek-5237085.php

Without Medicaid expansion, hospitals seek long-term solution
By Becca Aaronson, Texas Tribune : February 14, 2014

Citing shortfalls in Medicaid financing and billions in annual uncompensated care costs, the president and chief executive of the Texas Hospital Association said Friday that it was time for medical facilities to join together on a long-term strategy to compensate for the program's shortcomings.

“Texas hospitals have the power to work together to propose a solution and shape our own future,” Ted Shaw, the head of the hospital association, said in a statement. “We recognize how contentious this issue is but understand the importance of a hospital-led solution to ensure that the losses are minimized and gains maximized.”

Shaw did not specify what such a solution would look like. A representative for the association said the board is considering a couple of proposals, but so far, neither one has gained traction. They've made it a top priority, he said, to find a solution that distributes available Medicaid financing more equitably than the current system. While Shaw praised the Texas Legislature for fully financing a pool of Medicaid payments to cover uncompensated care in the 2014-15 budget, he said hospital leaders must devise a long-term solution, because that money is fleeting.

Texas' Republican leadership decided not to expand Medicaid for low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act, saying the program needed to be fixed, not expanded.

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Without Medicaid expansion, hospitals seek long-term solution (Original Post) unhappycamper Feb 2014 OP

I could be wrong, but it didn't seem like onestepforward Feb 2014 #1

They had a meeting with Ted Cruz about Health Savings Accounts. This would be for people who could DhhD Feb 2014 #2

Thanks for the information! onestepforward Feb 2014 #3

onestepforward

(3,691 posts)

1. I could be wrong, but it didn't seem like

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Sat Feb 15, 2014, 01:14 PM

Feb 2014

the Texas Hospital Assoc. fought very hard for the ACA. Besides a few press releases, they seemed quite about it. They had the biggest potential gains to make, besides the millions of uninsured Texans.

It's a real shame on so many levels.

DhhD

(4,695 posts)

2. They had a meeting with Ted Cruz about Health Savings Accounts. This would be for people who could

Reply to onestepforward (Reply #1)

Sat Feb 15, 2014, 06:20 PM

Feb 2014

afford the make smaller insurance premiums that were under insured but did nothing to accommodate the poor. Ever since 2003, Texas has removed funding from Mediciad to other progrms or threatened a tug of war between education and Medicaid funding.

Beginning in 2003 with Republicans in the White House, the poverty level for receiving the benefits was lowered forcing many people out of Medicaid. Rick Perry even accepted federal education funding in 2009 sending State funding for education over to Medicaid. The Obama Administration stopped this in 2010. So the lowest priority on the state budget is healthy care for the poor, disabled, veterans and the elderly. Pick Perry's real Death Panel tells the people of America that he could care less about the citizens and instead cares about enriching the business and investment communities. In my opinion Perry is wearing his dirty laundry now as he continues to money change in the temple. In 2006 Perry followed Bush/Bush Tax Cuts with a drop in the property taxes casuing a budget crisis.

http://tmait.org/group/health-related/health-savings-accounts/

Unlike Arizona, that never removed the many needy from Medicaid, Texas did, beginning in 2003. Arizona's governor Jan Brewer was able to move to Medicaid Expansion smoothly. The Texas Legislature refused to bring the poverty level up so the ACA did so by 138% in 2013. Texas government has know this since the law passed in 2010. So the GOP controlled Texas Legislature refused to make adjustment both in the 2011 and 2013 sessions. This needs to be a 2014 and 16 campaign issue. The poor are being hated and dying in this state due to the situation that the GOP has set up. The Texas Medical Association needs to stop wounding itself and get on with providing Texasns with the care they need and deserve.

http://governor.state.tx.us/initiatives/natl_health_care/P5/

onestepforward

(3,691 posts)

3. Thanks for the information!

Reply to DhhD (Reply #2)

Sat Feb 15, 2014, 11:30 PM

Feb 2014

I see now that I've gotten the Tx Medical Assoc. confused with the Tx Hospital Assoc.

Our current system of letting poor people die is just horrid beyond words. It must be changed.

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