Latest news with #ColoradoHospitalAssociation
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Some Colorado lawmakers craft plan to provide millions to providers that serve under, uninsured
Rural healthcare in Colorado is on life support. The Colorado Hospital Association says half of the state's rural hospitals are operating in the red, and two behavioral health facilities and two obstetrics programs in rural Colorado recently announced they're shutting their doors. A new study by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform finds that 10 rural hospitals here are so cash-strapped, they're in danger of closing. Located on the western edge of the San Luis Valley, Rio Grande Hospital serves one of Colorado's poorest communities. A total of 70% of its patients are on Medicare and Medicaid, meaning the hospital loses money on seven in ten patients who walk through its doors. CBS "We have to be sustainable, and it's been tough the last few years," says CEO Arlene Harms. The hospital and its four primary care clinics have been operating in the red for years. With just eight providers at the hospital to serve 10,000 patients, Harms says, staff members wear many hats, "If somebody is needed in the ER, several of us go back there and several are in the executive staff... so we all do a lot to make it work but we all love what we do." It goes beyond caring for the sick. Employees raised money for a Community Wellness Center last year that includes exercise equipment, a meditation room, and a greenhouse. But it's the health of the hospital that keeps Harms up at night, "I often times feel forgotten just because we're so far away from the metro (area)." As the financial health of rural providers worsens, state lawmakers are stepping in. "We have legislators on both sides of the aisle saying, 'Look, we're going to do something about this. We hear you loud and clear,'" says Senator Kyle Mullica, an emergency room nurse from Adams County. He's sponsoring a bill to provide at least $60 million over the next three years for primary care and behavioral health providers that are considered "safety net providers" because they serve a large number of uninsured and underinsured. The money will come from interest on the state's Unclaimed Property Trust Fund. The Rio Grande Hospital Wellness Center Rio Grande Hospital Mullica says he's also secured close to $40 million from philanthropists and is hoping for some matching federal dollars, bringing the total to over $100 million. Mullica's co-sponsor is Senator Barb Kirkmeyer, who's a Republican. The bill passed its first two committees unanimously. "We're hearing from those providers saying this is what we need. We don't need it in a year, we don't need this in two years, we need this now. Not doing something is not an option," said Mullica. Rio Grande Hospital clinics are among those in danger of closing. Like many rural hospitals, it is one of the top employers in its community, so the local economy also depends on its survival. Under the bill, an enterprise will disperse the money based on how many low-income patients a provider serves. Harms says the funding is a lifeline for those who serve the state's most vulnerable lives, "This bill gives me hope for all of us in the rural health care market." Rio Grande Hospital was just named one of the top critical care hospitals in the country.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Healthcare workers are 5 times more likely to be injured at work. Legislators want that to change.
DENVER (KDVR) — Healthcare workers are no strangers to violence, but some state legislators are trying to find ways to prevent that violence from increasing. The Colorado Hospital Association reports that on average a nurse is assaulted in the state every 30 minutes and that healthcare workers as a whole are five times more likely than other professions to get hurt due to violence on the job. State legislators have introduced a new bill to address these trends. Colorado Restaurant Association supports tip offset bill as Denver restaurants struggle The bill, called Health-Care Workplace Violence Incentive Payments, would create financial incentives and rewards for hospitals that create plans to reduce violence against their staff. The incentives would be provided through the state department to develop a stakeholder group with recommended metrics, determine if there are funds available to assist in lowering the number of workplace violence incidents and develop legislative recommendations by Feb. 1, 2026. The bill would exempt hospitals with under 100 beds from the reporting requirements. On Tuesday, dozens of nurses and healthcare workers gathered at the Colorado Capitol with Sen. Kyle Mullica, who is a former ER nurse. He's also a primary sponsor of the bill, and called violence against healthcare workers a public health crisis. 'Barriers to reporting, such as fear of retaliation, lack of awareness and a culture that too often accepts violence as part of the job have allowed this problem to remain under-reported and unaddressed for far too long,' said Mullica, a Democrat representing Adams County. The former nurse said the bill will focus on transparency and accountability, to ensure hospitals report progress or lack thereof. The bill has the support of the Colorado Hospital Association and Colorado Nurses Association. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Colorado health care providers fear ‘devastating' impacts of potential Medicaid cuts
Colorado Hospital Association CEO Jeff Tieman, Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne, U.S. Rep. Dianna DeGette, and Tepeyac Community Health Center CEO Jim Garcia spoke about the threat federal Medicaid cuts would pose to health care access in Colorado on Feb. 19, 2025, at DeGette's Denver office. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Colorado health care providers said Wednesday that federal cuts to Medicaid being weighed by Republicans in Congress would drastically impair their ability to provide services to patients and keep their doors open. At a news conference alongside U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, leaders with Denver Health, Tepeyac Community Health Center and the Colorado Hospital Association said Medicaid cuts would lead to reduced services, layoffs and even facility closures around the state. Republican budget proposals in Congress could roll back how much money the federal government provides to match states for Medicaid, a joint health care program for people with low incomes or disabilities that covers 1 in 5 people living in the U.S. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Donna Lynne, CEO of Denver Health, said the public health care provider could lose up to $1 billion of its $1.5 billion budget if Medicaid funding dwindles. 'We can't afford to do that,' Lynne said. 'We'd have to cut services. We'd have to lay off employees, and the impact, not just in Denver but in the entire state, it's catastrophic.' Lynne said Denver Health would also have to scale back biomedical research efforts. Jeff Tieman, CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association, said 70% of the hospitals in Colorado are already operating with very small or negative margins. He said cuts to Medicaid would result in patients losing coverage and access to health care, shuttering of services and even certain hospitals, and a 'diminished' provider community. Medicaid funding losses would disproportionately harm small and rural hospitals, he said. 'Medicaid is a lifeline, and it is crucial to the success, frankly, of our entire state,' Tieman said. DeGette said during Trump's first term in 2017, Medicaid cuts were proposed, and the 'outpouring of opposition from Americans was so great' that those proposals were tabled. She said public support for Medicaid has grown since then, citing a KFF poll that found 77% of Americans support Medicaid ahead of Trump's inauguration. 'The Trump administration has caused chaos and confusion for patients all across the country,' she said at her Denver office Wednesday. 'Frankly, these cuts would impact millions of Americans, thousands of people in my congressional district in order to pay for a huge tax cut for billionaires.' DeGette, the ranking Democrat on the health subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, said she and other Democrats will oppose 'draconian' cuts to health care coverage that negatively affect their constituents. With Colorado anticipating a tight state budget in the coming years, DeGette said the state would not be able to make up for Medicaid funding that could be lost at the federal level. 'Colorado's already going to be struggling in the next budget cycle to be able to even pay for what they're paying for now,' she said. Jim Garcia, CEO at Tepeyac Community Health Center, said Tepeyac has the highest percentage of uninsured patients among community health centers, as well as the lowest percentage of Medicaid patients. He said Medicaid represents about 10% of the center's revenue and is essential to ensuring it is able to offer integrated care, meaning patients can access medical, mental health and dental care at the same place. Medicaid cuts would lead to patients delaying or foregoing care, he said, which could lead to higher costing emergency hospital visits. 'This would be a devastating impact on our already lean budget and would require us to contract our services and limit the care we are able to provide to our patients,' Garcia said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Colorado hospitals urge caution
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Colorado Hospital Association says hospitals are facing uncertainty and financial instability because of the current federal and state environment. Colorado hospitals and health systems are urging state legislators to take a cautious and considered approach to any new healthcare legislation this session. The state faces a budget shortfall that approaches $1 billion, and forthcoming federal policies could dramatically reduce health care funding to the state. Community Hospital's CEO Chris Thomas tells WesternSlopeNow that with funding being frozen, they will need to be more efficient in how they operate before they cut costs. Before we go after cuts and reducing staff and reducing services, we want to make sure we kicked over every stone. So, where can we work together. You know we're working with Delta Hospital; we're working with Family Health. We're looking at ways to I guess reduce the cost to all of us, how can we collaborate better together, making sure we're not duplicating services. Chris Thomas, Community Hospital CEO All of this comes at a time when 70% of Colorado hospitals operate with small or negative margins, meaning there is limited funding to reinvest in patient care. Hospitals face double-digit increases in costs with stagnant or shrinking reimbursement, especially by Medicare and Medicaid. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
05-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Gov. Jared Polis supports bill to cap what Colorado hospitals can charge certain insurers
As health care costs continue to rise in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis and some state lawmakers are taking aim at hospitals. They want to cap what hospitals can charge some insurers. As health care costs continue to rise in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis and some state lawmakers are taking aim at hospitals. They want to cap what hospitals can charge some insurers. Coloradans saw health insurance premiums jump by nearly 10% last year and hospitals make up about half the cost of those plans. Over the last 10 years, their net revenue has doubled to nearly $22 billion, while community health clinics are in danger of closing. Polis says it's time to share the wealth. "I wish the highly profitable hospitals would look at this more holistically," he said. He's backing a bill that would cap what hospitals can charge the state employee health plan and small group market at about one-and-a-half times what Medicare pays. The savings would go to keep safety net providers afloat. "We want to make sure that they stay open, that providers are providing health care to people that look like them," said state Sen. Iman Jodeh, one of the bill's sponsors. Small rural hospitals, outpatient behavioral health services and primary care services would be exempt from the price cap, which would kick in in 2027. State Rep. Kyle Brown, the former Deputy Insurance Commissioner, says right now, hospitals charge commercial carriers nearly three times what Medicare pays for the same care. "We cannot continue to pay in excess of what is fair," he said. Julie Lonborg, Senior Vice President of the Colorado Hospital Association, says Medicare covers about 73% on-average of what it costs to provide care. "It's rate setting on hospitals and that's a problem," she said. She says 56% of hospitals are in the red and will need to make up the lost revenue somewhere. "The onus of this will be placed largely on large businesses, large business employers whose costs for health care and premiums for health care will go up because costs will be shifted." State Sen. Jeff Bridges says hospitals will still make a profit under the bill. "They can say whatever they want about their bottom line and the challenges they're facing. The reality is they know that these other folks in the health care world are facing even greater challenges," he said. Lt. Gov. Diane Primavera, who heads-up the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care, says everyone has to do their part. "We've turned over every rock, pulled every lever we can. It's not just trying to go after the hospital," she said. The bill is expected save the state $50-$60 million a year while cutting hospital profit margins by half a percentage point. "A half a percentage point on a hospital that's not making any money right now could be catastrophic," said Lonborg. Polis says it will be worse if community health clinics close. "If we don't get the preventative treatment, early diagnosis to those who are underinsured, on Medicaid, uninsured, through community health clinics like Salud and Clinica, they're going to wind up in emergency rooms. Uncompensated care for the hospitals," the governor said. Lonborg says hospitals are also concerned about community health clinics, but she says a price cap isn't the answer. The hospital association plans to send lawmakers and the governor its own ideas for how to cut costs.
