Tennessee’s healthcare sector, particularly its hospitals, will be watching warily as the U.S. Supreme Court readies its decision on the federal health care law.
Craig Becker of the Tennessee Hospital Association says he wants the Supreme Court to take an “all or nothing” approach. He fears that if the requirement for individuals to have insurance is struck down, but the rest of the law is not, Tennessee hospitals will be in trouble.
“If the mandate goes away, and we still end up with all the cuts they’re talking about, we’re going to have to start figuring out how we’re going to keep a medical presence in a lot of our communities because I believe hospitals will have to close. “
To fund the expansion of insurance to millions of Americans, the federal health law slashes Medicaid funding by $155 billion over a decade. This reduces compensation to hospitals, with the promise of giving them more insured paying patients.
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