Leaders of safety-net hospitals from across the state gathered Monday at the Capitol to argue against potential cuts in Medicaid payments.
The House last week released an initial budget that included $672.3 million in Medicaid reimbursement cuts, while a Senate plan included about $309.1 million in cuts. Safety-net hospitals include public, teaching and children's hospitals and serve large numbers of Medicaid patients and uninsured people.
Tony Carvalho, president of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, said hospital costs, such as employee salaries and other overhead, would not be reduced but Medicaid reimbursements would go down if the cuts are approved.
Also, during a news conference at the Capitol, he said the potential cuts would disproportionately affect safety-net hospitals. For example, the alliance released figures showing that Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami-Dade County could face nearly $39.8 million in cuts under the House budget plan and about $37 million in cuts under the Senate budget.
