Two of the most prominent “safety net” hospitals in Massachusetts are facing sizable budget gaps again this year, and are turning to the feds to bail them out. Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) have long received, in part because of their emphasis on the under- and uninsured, greater political assistance in propping up their balance sheets. The desired Medicaid waiver amendment would be worth $86 million this year for CHA and $90 million for BMC. These institutions play an important role in Massachusetts, but the new …
As the Obama Administration’s allies are gearing up to spend $125 million over the next five years to sell the health overhaul law to the public, including seniors, there has been a noticeable vacuum in the discussion over the impact on younger adults. This topic was in the spotlight at a recent event sponsored by the CATO Institute: “How Will Obamacare Affect Young Adults?” While the President received one of the largest margins of support from 18-29 year old voters during the 2008 election, there is growing skepticism over the …
At a recent AEI conference entitled “Health Care Reform: An Initial Checkup,” experts from a range of sectors discussed the implications of the provisions of the PPACA that are already defined, and pondered the many that are not. The early morning discussion revolved around the new law’s impact on low-skilled workers, possible drag on future employment expansion, and additional strain placed on state resources. The mid-morning panel addressed the myriad of questions surrounding the regulatory rule-making sequence and speculated that a capricious system of penalizing employers could undermine the current …
