“CHC CEOs made it clear to lawmakers that the proposed Medicaid cuts in the reconciliation legislation, on top of the potential funding cliff, would significantly reduce their ability to care for uninsured patients. In response, lawmakers have urged them to innovate and adapt amid a challenging fiscal environment, according to the executives.
“Innovate. Do something different. Let’s find ways to treat people less expensively,” Jeron Ravin, JD, MHL, the CEO from Swope Health in Missouri, said of what lawmakers have been suggesting. ‘At the same time, we need the ability to do that. We need resources to do that.”
“You want to [attract] certain individuals that are interested in doing that work, but we’re having to be competitive with private practices and hospital systems in the area,” said Christopher Vann, MHA, vice president of development at CommWell Health in North Carolina. “So, there’s all these things that are at play, and Medicaid is a very, very critical resource for us to ensure that we can continue to grow and serve our serve our patients.”
Robert P. Palussek, CEO of Legacy Community Health in Texas told IHP that if the proposed Medicaid changes are enacted, his health center would be forced to dismantle critical infrastructure that serves high-need populations, including care management teams, care coordinators, and medication adherence programs designed to prevent hospital readmissions for critically ill patients.
“These things would all be on the chopping block eventually, because it would not be sustainable to have that infrastructure,” Palussek said. “And especially as we talk about our nationwide journey to value-based care, I think we would take steps back — like quantum leap steps back.”