The piece that needs to be spoken loudly and often is the hospital system shrinks and nears collapse without Medicare and Medicaid. Those 2 things fund over 50% of hospital income. Think about that for a minute.
What dies first? Rural and critical access. The little places that transfer out to a larger metro hospital when you need surgery. Statistically, specialists and surgeons gather around metro locations where Level 1 and most Level 2 are located. Look up your closest hospital. If it’s Level 3 or 4, or labeled as critical access, it will be in trouble. Those hospitals rely even more on Medicare and Medicaid income to stay alive. In fact Medicare may provide subsidy to hospitals considered critical access.
What dies second? Mother/Baby, NICU, labor and delivery. The hospital units involving childbirth are all loss leaders in the hospital product line. Surgery and speciality income cover those costs.
What dies third? Jobs. Layoffs will ensue, from supply runners to nurses. I can’t imagine hospitalist staff (attending, in house, generalist doctors) won’t be cut to bare bones as well. Patients will be more unsafe due to less staff in general, those who are able to drive 100mi for services.
The piece that needs to be spoken loudly and often is the hospital system shrinks and nears collapse without Medicare and Medicaid. Those 2 things fund over 50% of hospital income. Think about that for a minute.
What dies first? Rural and critical access. The little places that transfer out to a larger metro hospital when you need surgery. Statistically, specialists and surgeons gather around metro locations where Level 1 and most Level 2 are located. Look up your closest hospital. If it’s Level 3 or 4, or labeled as critical access, it will be in trouble. Those hospitals rely even more on Medicare and Medicaid income to stay alive. In fact Medicare may provide subsidy to hospitals considered critical access.
What dies second? Mother/Baby, NICU, labor and delivery. The hospital units involving childbirth are all loss leaders in the hospital product line. Surgery and speciality income cover those costs.
What dies third? Jobs. Layoffs will ensue, from supply runners to nurses. I can’t imagine hospitalist staff (attending, in house, generalist doctors) won’t be cut to bare bones as well. Patients will be more unsafe due to less staff in general, those who are able to drive 100mi for services.