The new federal budget includes spending cuts that will most likely affect Bucks County hospitals, but local hospital executives are not yet disclosing the extent, writes Jess Rohan for the Bucks County Courier Times.
The budget passed this month imposes additional paperwork and verification procedures for Medicaid recipients that will, according to some advocates, remove hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents from the program.
People eligible for public health insurance have long faced challenges obtaining adequate coverage.
“Enrollment in public benefits and programs remains a challenge because of a general lack of awareness of what services exist and the fragmented systems,” wrote Grand View Hospital in 2024.
In addition, the budget removes groups of immigrants with legal status from coverage, including refugees and people over 65 without long enough work history.
Additionally, the budget restricts a tax mechanism that states rely on to raise money for Medicaid.
Doylestown Hospital is one of the hospitals in Bucks County that relies on Medicare and Medicaid payments, as one-third of its revenue in 2024 comes from federally administered programs. Meanwhile, over half of Grand View Hospital’s 2024 revenue came from Medicare, Medicaid and managed versions of those plans.
Read more about how these federal budget cuts could impact Bucks County hospitals and the patients they serve in the Bucks County Courier Times.
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