Massachusetts has managed to game the system once again:
The loophole:
Hospitals in Massachusetts will reap an annual windfall of $275 million due to a loophole enshrined in the new health care law … The disclosure was buried in a regulation that Medicare issued Monday.
Reactions:
Hospital association executives in other states are up in arms over the news, which comes at a time when they are girding for more cuts under the newly signed federal debt deal.
“If I could think of a better word than outrageous, I would come up with it,” said Steve Brenton, president of the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
Outcomes:
Hospitals in 41 states will lose money as result of the change. The biggest loser: New York, which is out $47.5 million.
Full article on Massachusetts hospital gains via Medicare regulation.
So all hospitals in Massachusetts get compensated based on the high labor costs of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard hospitals. What a racket!
Why am I not surprised by this…
Why is Massachusetts gettin all the breaks? The Mass Health plan was the creation of Republican Gov. Mitt Romney.
Wow! Anyone own stock in a MA hospital?
I’m not saying that Mitt Romney had anything to do with this, but I would like to know what his thoughts are on it. He has probably made some kind of an effort to keep himself officially out of the loop.
A lot of this can probably be put on Gov. Deval Patricks’ watch.