250 staff members at Boston Medical Center are losing their jobs or losing hours. The hospital is also putting a hold on 35% of planned capital projects and spending 14-million dollars less in departments throughout the hospital. In total, BMC is cutting $61.5 million in response to state budget cuts. Hospital President Elaine Ullian says patients will feel the effects.
“They’ll be longer waits for appointments. They’ll be fewer phones answered. We have the largest interpreter service in New England; we’re reducing that considerably. Every element of our institution will diminish the service and access it provides to patients at a time when our hospital has never been busier.”
“Now is the time when that safety net is needed more than ever.”
Mike Fadel with SEIU, 1999, is frustrated with the Patrick administration.
“We know that the state is under tremendous fiscal constraints, but there are hundreds and thousands of residents who are unemployed or underemployed and in need of the very services that Boston Medical Center provides.”
Fadel is also worried about members who are losing jobs at BMC and about a warning from Ullian that more cuts are likely as the state budget tightens.
“I’m very worried about it and I just am hopeful that we can partner with the Governor and his staff to support essential services for a very large population, whom we serve. “
More than half of Boston Medical Center’s patients are low income. Ullian says BMC is reimbursed 64 cents on the dollar for patients with Medicaid coverage. This year she will dip into reserves to make up for lost special government payments that used to help cover the gap. Ullian is hoping that a federal stimulus package for states will include a temporary increase in the Medicaid rate. But states may not be required to spend that money on Medicaid. Secretary for Administration and Finance, Leslie Kirwan, isn’t making any promises.
“We are hopeful that to the extent that we get some additional federal aid, it will be flexible enough to help us deal with our current budget situation and avoid significant further cuts, given that we’ve already made some painful cuts in many areas of the budget.”
The administration is working on another round of budget cuts and a spending plan for the next fiscal year that may make this year look generous, in comparison.
Martha Bebinger
Recent statements here and in the Globe that Cambridge Health Alliance will receive $956 million this fiscal year in state subsidies are misleading and require clarification.
About 75 percent of that amount (nearly $700 Million) relate to insurance premiums received by our statewide Managed Care plan, Network Health, to cover the medical expenses associated with its 150,000 Medicaid and Commonwealth Care members – the platform for Massachusetts health care reform coverage expansions. These are not “subsidies” and should not be characterized as payments to Cambridge Health Alliance’s hospital system. The money provides insurance premiums for people who would otherwise not have access to health insurance, exactly what our highly touted health care reform initiative mandated.
The balance of funds to our hospitals and physicians – about $256 Million – provides for patient care services to Medicaid and other low-income patient populations. Our patient care is highly concentrated to patients who depend on Medicaid and other low-income government programs. Over half of the total patient care provided at Cambridge Health Alliance, which this year is projected at more than 620,000 ambulatory and primary care visits, 92,000 emergency room visits, and 16,700 inpatient discharges, is dedicated to these populations. We provide more than 19 times the level of care to these populations than the community hospital average. This critical funding to support our public mission is comprised of about 64 percent federal funds and about 36 percent state funds. Thus, about $92 million of the $256 Million in CHA hospital revenue for Medicaid and low-income patient care comes from state sources; a far cry from the number being bandied about and an amount, I believe, that provides excellent value to the state and those in need of quality health care.
A very sad news indeed. Quality hospital service is very crucial to this volatile world. But this is reality. We can only change the course of event by starting it within ourselves. We should prioritize giving quality health care services especially to indigenous patients. But considering the economic turmoil, the health care professionals also need help. How can this be now? People must unite to come up with a very effective solution. A win-win strategy might do wonders.