Hospitals like Parkland could save 10 percent of unpaid care if Texas expands Medicaid, study finds
AUSTIN — If Texas expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, hospitals would whittle away about one-tenth of the costs for care they provide and never collect payment for, according to a study.
Hospitals would net about $358 million a year, a "significant" reduction in the $4 billion they lose annually when they treat the uninsured and receive tiny payments from Texas Medicaid, the report found.
But Medicaid enlargement is unlikely in Texas, where conservative GOP leaders are staunchly opposed to Obamacare even though the state has more uninsured people than any other, the researchers noted.
"As of the writing of this report, Medicaid expansion in Texas does not appear to be likely in the near future," said the study by Health Management Associates, a consulting firm based in Lansing, Mich.
Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20160901-hospitals-like-parkland-could-save-10-percent-of-unpaid-care-if-texas-expands-medicaid-study-finds.ece
