A new Senate proposal would change how the federal government allocates Medicaid disproportionate share money (Medicaid DSH) to the states.
The State Accountability, Flexibility, and Equity (SAFE) for Hospitals Act, introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), seeks to
…create equity for all states by updating a metric used to determine how much each state is allotted, which has not been reformed since the early 1990s.
A news release issued by Senator Rubio explains that the bill
- Gradually changes the DSH allocation formula so states’ allocations are based on the number of low-income earners living in the state, as a percentage, of the total U.S. population earning less than 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
- Prioritizes DSH funding to hospitals providing the most care to vulnerable patients, while providing states with the necessary flexibility to address the unique needs of hospitals in each state.
- Expands the definition of uncompensated care to include costs incurred by hospitals to provide certain outpatient physician and clinical services, which is a change recommended by MACPAC.
- Allows states to reserve some of their DSH funding allocations to be used in future years in order to give hospitals more certainty or consistency in the amount of DSH funding they can expect when planning for the future.
The news release also explains that one of the purposes of the bill is to benefit Florida.
NAUH will monitor the bill’s progress closely, evaluate its potential impact on private safety-net hospitals, and respond appropriately, if needed.
Learn more about the new Medicaid DSH bill by reading the news release and this one-page summary of the bill.
