“A double whammy of federal budget cuts might force many hospitals, particularly those that serve poor or rural communities, to scale back services or even shut their doors.

The $3.6 billion in cuts this year—$2 billion from a program that sends federal dollars to hospitals that serve a high percentage of Medicaid or uninsured patients, and $1.6 billion from a drug discount program—will have the greatest effect on so-called safety-net hospitals that provide medical care for all comers, no matter their ability to pay.

The cuts are in addition to other losses of federal funds as a result of Congress’ failure to reauthorize spending in 2018 on other programs affecting many hospitals, including $1.5 billion to support community hospitals, a combined $370 million for the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Centers, both of which support rural hospitals, and $3 billion for the “Medicare extenders” program, which provides additional funding for isolated, low-volume hospitals and other rural hospitals.”

Read More: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/finance/safety-net-hospitals-face-federal-budget-cuts?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTXpJeVpqWTNOell4T0RjeSIsInQiOiJXYmZrRlRrbGVPMFZNN3lTbUk1bWNjdEk3S1ljc252WFY1NzduMk9oSmdsUU1ZZ3pEakxjb1MzYTc0Y002dkMwQ3dmVVV3Q090V1lQNlNNY0pwQ0pPaVNYV0ZNb3ByUDY3Yzh4MUV3V1wveEs2RkFoVE9iTTZZdHVyVm1FMlk1ZisifQ%3D%3D&mrkid=956475

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