Senate in Mississippi Decides on Medicare Funding      

Get a FREE 120+ Page Book About Medicare. Click Here Now for Details!

A Medicaid plan proposed by the Division of Medicaid and the state hospital association in Mississippi was passed by the Mississippi Senate today.  The debate took 24 hours until it was passed, and it still has to be discussed in the House on Thursday, 5/29.

The Senate spent the 24 hours discussing how the bill – or not passing the bill – would affect hospitals and patients in the state.  Though there will be a 90 million dollar deficit, it has still been decided that this would be a better choice than not passing the bill. 

For one thing, though there is a deficit, there will be taxes that offset the deficit.  The hospitals will pay out taxes, but will receive more in return, so, in the end, the hospitals, the individuals that use the hospitals and the state itself, will end up better for the situation.

The hospitals in the state all have to pay an assessment tax to offset the shortfall of the 90 million dollars, but the federal government will pay the hospitals back at a rate of three to one.  Therefore, for every three dollars that each hospital pays, they will receive two dollars in return in federal funds.  The money is paid back to each hospital depending on the number of Medicaid patients they provide services to.  The Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant has said that “this will help fund not only next year but in years to come.”

Though most hospitals will receive the money back, seventeen hospitals will have a shortfall, which will be reimbursed by the hospital association.  State Senator Terry Burton says, “I think taxpayers have benefited as a result of this.”

Thursday will tell whether the House agrees with the Senate and passes the bill to help hospitals and patients who use them.

Entry Filed under: General-Medicare