The Arkansas Hospital Association fears an Arkansas Medicaid policy proposal could cost hospitals much more than the $11 million estimate from the Department of Human Services.
“We seem to think that that’s understated,” said Paul Cunningham, executive vice president of the AHA. “We don’t know exactly by how much though.”
DHS and AHA officials are working together “to review the numbers and ensure the estimates we have are accurate,” Amy Webb, a spokeswoman for DHS, said in a July 26 email to Arkansas Business. “We will assess the situation again once we know more.”
Under the proposed change, the Arkansas Medicaid program would stop covering the co-insurance or deductible costs, or both, for most of the patients who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid in cases in which Medicare is the primary payer, Cunningham said.
“Medicaid continually looks for ways to make the program more efficient,” Webb said in the email. “Since learning of the Hospital Association’s concerns, we have met with [the AHA] and talked about the issue.” Click here to read the full story from our partners at ArkansasBusiness.com.
