Legislative Update
On Beacon Hill... BWH Participates in Beacon Hill Event...
BWH President Gary L. Gottlieb, MD, MBA, and North Shore Medical Center President Robert G. Norton, joined other Massachusetts hospital CEOs at a State House event on Tuesday, March 16. The event was aimed at educating legislators and the public on the human and fiscal impact of hospital cuts proposed by Governor Mitt Romney in his FY2005 state budget.
Gottlieb and the other hospital leaders advocated for continued MassHealth coverage and access for vulnerable patient populations, fair reimbursement for hospital and physician care provided to MassHealth and uninsured patients, claims payment improvements, and adequate funding for critical mental health, substance abuse and public health programs.
Following the event, led by and Health Care Committee Chairmen Senator Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge) and Representative Peter Koutoujian (D-Waltham), the Partners CEOs met privately with key legislative leaders and staff, including Senate President Robert E. Travaglini (D-Boston), Ways and Means leaders Representative Michael Ruane (D-Salem), Senator Stephen Tolman (D-Boston), Representative Peter Larkin (D-Pittsfield), and Representative Bob Fennell (D-Lynn).
According to the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the proposed FY2005 budget will cut hospital Medicaid reimbursements by at least $163 million statewide, while the free care pool will fall short of the costs of caring for the uninsured by more than $320 million. Governor Romney’s budget, which would result in approximately $60 million in additional losses for Partners hospitals, is currently under consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee, which is expected to release its own budget blueprint in mid-April.