80 MS rural hospitals may close

JACKSON, Miss. - Fifty-four percent (80) of Mississippi’s rural hospitals are at risk of closing immediately or in near future, according to Dr. Daniel Edney, the state’s leading public health official. Edney spoke to state senators Nov. 21 about the financial pressure on Mississippi hospitals. The potential closures threaten to exacerbate poor health outcomes in one of the nation’s poorest states. This situation "is intolerable from an economic standpoint," he said, and access to care. Rural hospitals were under economic strain before the COVID-19 and the problems have worsened as healthcare costs have increased and the state's high number of low-income uninsured people. These hospitals are on the hook for more uncompensated care. The liabilities on hospital balance sheets "have reached some unsustainable levels given what we face,” said Scott Christensen, chair of the Mississippi Hospital Association Board of Governors. The main problems facing rural state hospitals is that revenues have not kept pace with rising costs, Christensen said. (The AP 11/22/22) Over half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals risk closing (wlbt.com) 

State Sen. Kevin Blackwell (R-Southaven), who chairs the Senate Medicaid Committee, said after Monday’s hearing that he remains opposed to Medicaid expansion - one of 6 options presented by Edney. He'd prefer other options, such as helping poor people purchase private insurance. Whether the state could develop a Medicaid expansion substitute. with the federal government paying the bulk for private insurance. is not known. Blackwell surmised that it would be 2024's session – after 2023 statewide elections – before such options are considered. 

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Ga. hospitals ask for property tax assistance

MACON, Ga. - The Macon-Bibb County (Ga.) hospital authority wants local government to start sharing local property taxes to help pay for indigent care. The authority oversees Atrium Health Navicent, the largest hospital in middle Georgia and one of four trauma centers in the state. If approved, Macon-Bibb would be at least the 14th county in Georgia to use property taxes to pay for hospital care of the indigent. State law allows counties to devote up to 7 mills of property taxes to pay for hospital buildings or subsidize health care. (The AP 11/25/22)