Massachusetts hospitals are being squeezed by a lack of state funding to treat uninsured and low-income patients, according to lawmakers cited by The Salem News.
Each year, Massachusetts hospitals and health insurers put $330 million in a safety-net fund. The state is supposed to contribute $30 million to that fund. However, lawmakers claim the state hasn't chipped in its fair share for several years. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's $43 billion budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year doesn't include safety-net funding.
As a result, lawmakers are pursuing proposals aimed at closing the funding gap. A House budget introduced last week proposed a $15 million transfer to the fund, according to The Salem News.
While community hospital executives declined to comment about the funding to The Salem News, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association said it supports plans to increase safety-net funding.
"The shortfall in the health safety net is a concern for all hospitals — as the responsibility for funding it falls on hospitals alone — over and above the annual assessments they pay to fund the health safety net," Catherine Bromberg, the association's spokesperson, told The Salem News. "This will provide needed support for uninsured and underinsured patients."