Mass. Hospitals To Reap Healthcare Windfall

ap ^ | August 4, 2011

[george76]

Hospitals in Massachusetts will reap an annual windfall of $275 million due to a loophole enshrined in the new health care law. Hospitals in most other states will get less money as a result.

The disclosure was buried in a regulation that Medicare issued late last week. Hospital association executives in other states are up in arms over the news, which comes at a time when they are girding for more cuts under the newly signed federal debt deal. "If I could think of a better word than outrageous, I would come up with it," said Steve Brenton, president of the Wisconsin Hospital Association.

...

Hospitals in 41 states will lose money as result of the change

[arrogantsob]

Squabbling over peanuts.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Can you say Vote Buying?

Sure. I knew you could.

[freeangel]

I guess the for profits like HCA didn’t pay their fair share to husseins election campagn. I bet the situation will be rectified if they cough up big bucks to his re-election campaign right now.

[Lorianne]

Giant rent seeking framework ... on a galactic scale.

[LostPassword]

Does anyone remember this from the health care reform debate? There was an earmark for about this much to go to Massachusett's hospitals with a specific name (I forget which congressman). That got a lot of bad publicity so it was changed to something like:

$275 million to go to hospitals in a state chosen by the administration. This state must have X teaching hospitals, and Y% of doctors in rural areas, and ....

Only 1 state met all of the qualifications (and it happened to be Mass). Surprisingly, the congressman from Mass who had been wavering decided to vote for the bill. The Democrat's way of eliminating earmarks. (Republicans aren't beyond such tactics)

[newzjunkey]

He needs to buy votes in MA? Maybe for the Dem against Scott Brown...

[SaraJohnson]

With centralized control, liberals will race and sex bait health care too and they will actually directly kill people with this game. Guess which ones won’t get health care?!