Posted: | January 15, 2013 02:07 PM |
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From: | Senator Lisa Baker |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Baker/Critical Access Hospitals |
I plan to re-introduce Senate Bill 482 from last session to require the Commonwealth to pay Critical Access Hospitals in Pennsylvania under the Medicaid program using the same methodology that Medicare uses to pay these hospitals. The previous co-sponsors were Senators Browne, Costa, Eichelberger, Erickson, Kasunic, Wozniak, Yaw, Yudichak and Scarnati. This legislation is fully supported by The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania who want the language in statute to ensure continued funding. Critical Access Hospitals were created by Congress to help improve rural health care access and reduce hospital closures. Eligible facilities must be rural hospitals participating in the Medicare program, be located more than 35 miles from another hospital and have an average daily population of no greater than 25. While Critical Access Hospitals are entitled to receive cost-based reimbursement for Medicare claims, there is no such guarantee for Medicaid reimbursement. Many of the Critical Access Hospitals in Pennsylvania are in financial distress, and Medicaid revenues represent an important share of their overall business. There are 13 Critical Access Hospitals in Pennsylvania: Barnes Kasson County Hospital Susquehanna County Brookville Hospital Jefferson County Bucktail Medical Center Clinton County Charles Cole Memorial Hospital Potter County Corry Memorial Hospital Erie County Endless Mountains Health Center Susquehanna County Fulton County Medical Center Fulton County Jersey Shore Hospital Lycoming County Mid-Valley Hospital Lackawanna County Muncy Hospital Lycoming County Meyersdale Medical Center Somerset County Troy Community Hospital Bradford County Tyrone Hospital Blair County |
Introduced as SB384