Jackson Free Press

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journail is reporting that the Mississippi House has approved a $45 million assessment on hospitals in a compromise to cover part of the $90 million shortfall in the state Medicaid program.

In last year's session Gov. Haley Barbour was unable to get his plan to push the shortfall unto hospitals.

The shortfall is in a program that reimburses hospitals for some of their losses from treating indigent patients and recipients of Medicaid, a federal-state program that provides health care to about 600,000 elderly, disabled and poor pregnant women and children. Barbour has said that since the hospitals benefit from the $285 million in federal funds drawn down by the $90 million in state funds for the program, the hospitals should put up the state match.

While the House, by an overwhelming 104-10 margin, passed a Medicaid bill that provides $45 million from the hospitals to plug the deficit, the governor's proposal to plug the entire $90 million shortfall with a tax on hospitals was killed in a Senate committee.

The Mississippi Hospital Association supports the House plan to increase the tax to $45 million on the hospitals, but believes the other half of the shortfall should be filled through other means.

House Medicaid Committee Chairman Dirk Dedeaux, D-Gulfport, said, "We will support a $45 million hospital assessment, but we expect significant tobacco tax revenue to be directed toward the Medicaid program."

Previous Comments

ID

143640

Comment

[quote]but we expect significant tobacco tax revenue to be directed toward the Medicaid program[/quote] Don't hold your breath on that.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-02-17T09:19:11-06:00

ID

143643

Comment

Oh, please...as a former employee for both the Federal and State CMS programs, it makes sense for private industry benefitting from the subsidy created by Medicaid's money to put up part of the shortfall. Especially since many of their patients are paying said hospitals via Medicare and 'caid. And digging at a tobacco tax in the statement just because you are asked to pay your part is retarded and childish. Well, that's coming from a smoker though... Besides...Medicaid has bigger issues than that to fix.

Author

JusBeinMichael

Date

2009-02-17T09:52:06-06:00