Ten New Hampshire hospitals that are battling Granite State regulators over recent changes in Medicaid reimbursement have now asked the federal government to intervene, reported the New Hampshire Union Leader.
"We cannot sit and watch the further deterioration of this critical program without action. As the federal administrator responsible for New Hampshire compliance, we are asking [the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ] to intervene and help us stop the disintegration of the Medicaid," the hospitals said in a letter to CMS late last month. "New Hampshire is not listening to us," they wrote, reported the Portsmouth Herald.
Hospital officials are not seeking a federal takeover of New Hampshire's Medicaid program, according to the Union Leader. Instead, they are asking for waiver denials, a rejection of an application to move the program to managed care and holding back of Medicaid funds.
State lawmakers recently passed a state budget that included $250 million in cuts to the disproportionate share program that affect New Hampshire's 13 largest hospitals, according to the Herald. Exeter Hospital cut 110 jobs as a result.
Consequently, the hospitals sued in state court, claiming they were not provided with a period of time to comment on the cuts.
For more:
- check out the Portsmouth Herald article
- read the New Hampshire Union Leader article