Williamson County Commissioners are creating a fund that could cover uninsured ER patients without the use of taxpayer funds. Ha!
Contrary to what the Commissioners are saying, There is No Free Lunch!Community Impact
Local hospitals provide millions of dollars of uncompensated care to Medicaid and uninsured patients per year, and they are reimbursed only a fraction of that.
The number of uninsured and Medicaid patients is growing, while private-pay patients — who offset the costs — are shrinking. This is threatening the viability of hospitals.
Basically the hospitals are taxing themselves. A flat fee percentage is to be paid by each participating hospital. That money will come out of each hospital's profit margin. The county will send the collected funds to the state — Texas Department of Health and Human Services. In about three weeks, every $1 of the fund will be matched to about $1.20 of available Medicaid funding and returned to the hospitals.
"At the Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday, the county took a step toward creating a local provider participation fund, also known as an LPPF. State law allows county Commissioners Courts to administer funds made up of mandatory fees paid by local hospitals. That money can be used to pay for eligible health care projects, including covering the costs of uninsured ER patients, Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long said.
There are no county tax dollars in play with an LPPF, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said."Williamson County will be helping local hospitals get reimbursed for uncompensated care costs from Medicaid funds.
Local hospitals provide millions of dollars of uncompensated care to Medicaid and uninsured patients per year, and they are reimbursed only a fraction of that.
The number of uninsured and Medicaid patients is growing, while private-pay patients — who offset the costs — are shrinking. This is threatening the viability of hospitals.
Basically the hospitals are taxing themselves. A flat fee percentage is to be paid by each participating hospital. That money will come out of each hospital's profit margin. The county will send the collected funds to the state — Texas Department of Health and Human Services. In about three weeks, every $1 of the fund will be matched to about $1.20 of available Medicaid funding and returned to the hospitals.
Anytime the government mandates funds be taken from private industry and redistributed by government, there is "leakage" of money and a government bureaucracy has to be established to administer the program. This is another wealth redistribution scam.
At last report, the State had no "excess" medicaid funds to apply to this program. So, where is the matching medicaid funds coming from?
Do the Commissioners think that Medicaid funds appear by magic? Of course the funds do not magically appear. The funds are paid by taxpayers and/or the money is borrowed and future generations will have to pay.
Do the Commissioners not recognize that the hospitals will increase their charges to patients and insurance companies to cover the government mandated fees to maintain their profit margins? Of course the Commissioners understand that. They just do not want to publicly admit it.
Georgetown taxpayers need to remember this when they look at their property and Federal income tax bills and when they go to the voting booth!
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