ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JULIE ANDERSON
Hillsboro Community Medical Center is circulating a petition to call
on Congress and the Clinton Administration to help America?s
hospitals, the caregivers that work in them, the volunteers who
give
of themselves and their time, and the patients they serve.
?I think (the public) should be very concerned because the
Balanced
Budget Act has been very devastating to hospitals all over the
United
States,? said Tom Faulkner, HCMC chief executive officer.
Faulkner encourages everyone who cares about rural health care to
sign
the petition.
?If Congress recognizes the effort and recognizes the financial
concerns of hospitals, any relief from the Balanced Budget Act
will
help HCMC,? he said.
The petitions are being circulated by every hospital in the United
States in hopes of receiving relief from BBA.
The legislation imposed enormous reductions in projected Medicare
and
Medicaid spending from 1998 to 2002. An estimated $76 billion,
nearly
$25 billion more than Congress intended, was cut from hospitals?
Medicare payments, with an additional $10 billion cut from
Medicaid.
Although experts estimate Medicare is sound until at least 2025,
many
of America?s hospitals and private insurers are squeezing
hospitals,
causing their patients to suffer.
Last year, Congress took a step toward repairing the unintended
consequences of the BBA, but more is needed.
Since 1997, the cost of caring for America?s seniors has risen
dramatically, according to HCMC. Costs of new drugs and lifesaving
technologies are soaring.
The number of uninsured who are treated at America?s hospitals
continues to increase, yet government payments to hospitals for
the
care of Medicare and Medicaid patients continue to lag behind the
cost
of caring, the hospital reported.
In Washington, leading Republicans and Democrats have teamed up to
provide some relief for America?s hospitals and the patients and
communities they serve.
Petitions are located at HCMC, the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce,
Commercial Federal Bank, Emprise Bank, Hillsboro State Bank,
Central
National Bank, Great Plains Federal Credit Union, Hillsboro Family
Practice Clinic
HCMC joins petition drive for BBA cure
