Finance & Budgeting
It is simply not true that hospital operating margins have been growing. Numerous studies and reports have been consistent that operating margins have decreased in recent years, as Medicare and Medicaid underpayments have continued to grow. Medicare payment-to-cost ratios have decreased in recent鈥
Patients should be confident in knowing that their hospital is their lifeline to access care in their community. The cuts proposed today raise serious concerns about how hospitals and health systems can ensure they serve as the safety net for their patients.
The president鈥檚 fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget request for nearly $420 billion in 10-year Medicare payment cuts to providers 鈥渨ould jeopardize hospitals鈥 ability to keep the promise of maintaining access to vital health care services,鈥 the AHA said last week.
The president Nov. 2 signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act, P.L. 114-74, passed by Congress last week to raise the nation鈥檚 debt limit and set spending targets for the federal budget for the next two fiscal years. Site-neutral payments for new provider-based hospital outpatient departments are鈥