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Safety Net Hospitals Oppose Potential Cuts

Leaders of safety-net hospitals from across the state gathered Monday at the Capitol to argue against potential cuts in Medicaid payments.

The House last week released an initial budget that included $672.3 million in Medicaid reimbursement cuts, while a Senate plan included about $309.1 million in cuts. Safety-net hospitals include public, teaching and children's hospitals and serve large numbers of Medicaid patients and uninsured people.

Tony Carvalho, president of the , said hospital costs, such as employee salaries and other overhead, would not be reduced but Medicaid reimbursements would go down if the cuts are approved.

Also, during a news conference at the Capitol, he said the potential cuts would disproportionately affect safety-net hospitals. For example, the alliance released figures showing that Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami-Dade County could face nearly $39.8 million in cuts under the House budget plan and about $37 million in cuts under the Senate budget.

Copyright 2017 Health News Florida

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