Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Worried About Being Walloped Financially By Repeal
The Associated Press: Hospitals Worry About Caring For Newly Uninsured In GOP Plan
When Colorado expanded Medicaid coverage under former President Barack Obama’s health care law, the largest provider in the Denver region hired more than 250 employees and built a $27 million primary care clinic and two new school-based clinics. Emergency rooms visits stayed flat as Denver Health Medical Center directed many of the nearly 80,000 newly insured patients into one of its 10 community health centers, where newly hired social workers and mental health therapists provided services for some of the county’s poorest residents. Demand for services at the new primary care clinic was almost immediate. (Kennedy, 3/12)
USA Today: Hospitals Fear Obamacare Repeal May Create Financial Strain
The Republican plan to overhaul Obamacare could have a dire impact on hospital finances, some health care experts warn, creating serious concerns about patient safety and health care quality. Josh Sharfstein, a pediatrician and former top health official for the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland, says the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) goes far beyond expanding health insurance coverage to millions of Americans so they can get the treatment they need. That insurance reimbursement also helps keep hospitals afloat, he says. (O'Donnell, 3/12)
