Florida hospitals to Scott: “You have suggested that a new tax on hospital operating surpluses might be a way to sustain the existing LIP program. Such an arrangement is not a solution to the challenge we face.”
The Orlando (FL) Sentinel (5/19) reports that the Florida Hospital Association responded to Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) newly formed commission on hospital funding in a letter Monday, “reiterating its support for a Senate plan to expand Medicaid but sidestepping Scott’s proposal to have hospitals share their profits.” The group asked the governor not to approve tax increases on inpatient and outpatient care as a way to address the possible end of the Low Income Pool program, writing, “You have suggested that a new tax on hospital operating surpluses might be a way to sustain the existing LIP program. Such an arrangement is not a solution to the challenge we face.” The letter comes two weeks after Scott issued an executive order creating the nine-member Commission on Health Care and Hospital Funding. The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (5/19) “The Buzz” blog notes that the commission meets for the first time on Wednesday.
The Palm Beach (FL) Post (5/19) reports that the FHA urged Scott to support the state Senate’s Medicaid expansion proposal, stating, “The Senate’s comprehensive proposal would provide health care coverage to approximately 800,000 low-income, working Floridians. And, it fully funds a modified LIP program in the first year of a transition toward increased coverage.”
For-profit hospital network HCA “sent its own letter to Scott on Friday outlining its solution in the wake of LIP’s expiration,” theFlorida Times-Union (5/19) “PolitiJax” blog reports. The company, which owns 46 hospitals in Florida, “suggested that the state revise its formula for paying hospitals under Medicaid by boosting the base rate and increasing the tax on hospitals used to create a larger federal match of dollars.”
Meanwhile, the AP (5/19, Fineout) reports that state officials warned Monday that if Florida legislators fail to reach a deal on a new budget, a government shutdown would halt critical services. Officials said “that child support payments could be halted, Florida would no longer participate in the Medicaid program, the state would no longer respond to any hurricanes, and that the Florida National Guard would not be available in an emergency.”