Hospitals have big stake in Medicaid debate in N.C. legislature
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/local/article_669750f8-9021-5756-ab8b-ba53354f406b.html
Hospitals have big stake in Medicaid debate in N.C. legislature
Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 8:49 pm | Updated: 9:41 pm, Wed Jun 11, 2014.
By Paige Rentz Staff writer
Hospital officials across the state are breathing a preliminary sigh of relief this week after N.C. House leaders released a budget without the deep Medicaid cuts in the Senate's spending plan.
"The hospitals and the hospital association are pleased with the fact that Speaker (Thom) Tillis and the leadership putting that budget together paid attention to what we're saying and recognized the impact more cuts would have on health care in our community," said Julie Henry, vice president of communications at the N.C. Hospital Association.
Hospitals now will be lobbying for the Medicaid spending in the House budget to survive the negotiations with the Senate.
The Senate's budget plan includes cuts to Medicaid reimbursements, pulls money from a pool of grant funds intended to pay for hospitalized Medicaid patients, and cuts Medicaid services to 15,000 blind, disabled, elderly and medically needy people across the state.