NAPH President Larry Gage Talks Reform in Modern Healthcare - January 5, 2010

NAPH President Larry Gage was interviewed recently by Modern Healthcare on the top challenges facing hospitals in a reformed health care system. In a January 4, 2010 article on the interview, Gage is quoted as expressing concern that the Senate bill “will fall short of expectations in terms of coverage expansions,” as the Senate bill would cover only 94 percent of Americans and, consequently, would leave millions of Americans uninsured. In contrast, the House bill would cover 96 percent of all Americans—“a difference of several million people,” Gage notes in the article. Despite the significant numbers of remaining uninsured, many of which are likely to seek care at safety net hospitals, the Senate bill reduces disproportionate share hospital reimbursement by nearly $43 billion over ten years.