ORLANDO, Fla. — Hospitals all over the state can keep their current staffing and level of care in place, if Gov. Ron DeSantis gets his way.
He wants to keep the Critical Care Fund intact.
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In order to break even, they need the state to make up the difference in reimbursement.
Hospitals are finally back to normal after COVID-19 rocked them statewide, and hospitals have to be ready for what comes next. That means they need money, especially the ones that take Medicare and Medicaid, which only pays about 60 cents to the dollar.
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If the Critical Care Fund is not cut, that would be good news for places like Orlando Health.
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Orlando Health and 27 other hospitals in the state treat more than 1,500 critical newborn patients and 2,100 critical adults, and train almost half the future doctors in the region. These funds are most important for them, as 20-25% of people in the state have Medicare or Medicaid.
Gov. DeSantis’ promise is only part of a proposed budget. The legislature also has to have its say on the budget, and some believe hospitals make too much money.
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Some state policymakers think that hospitals’ big margins are a problem, and they want to solve them by cutting Medicaid reimbursement rates.
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