Charles Gijanto, interim CEO of Massena (N.Y.) Memorial Hospital, said the staffing ratio and "Medicare for All" bills proposed by state lawmakers could affect his hospital's bottom line by upward of $10 million, according to the Watertown Daily Times.
The staffing ratio bill would require hospitals to increase the number of nurses, depending on the patient census, and lead to a reduction of non-nursing workers.
"For Massena Memorial Hospital, depending on our census fluctuation, the cost for us would be $2 million to $3 million a year. Everybody across the state would be looking at staggering large increases in costs," said Mr. Gijanto.
The universal Medicare proposal would reduce reimbursement rates for many patients, which Mr. Gijanto said could be very costly for Massena Memorial.
"On the surface, there are some interesting benefits to [the proposal], but there are also some drawbacks; particularly, on average, every hospital in New York state will lose about 17 percent of its current reimbursement.," said Mr. Gijanto. "So that’s not a good thing. That size a cut in reimbursement to Massena Memorial is pushing in the $8 [million] or $9 million range."