WASHINGTON, DC– Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) acted to help ensure low-income families who rely on Medicaid for healthcare continue to receive critical care at community hospitals. Olson introduced H.R. 3054, the DSH Cuts Delay Act, to delay scheduled cuts to Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments for two years. Medicaid DSH payments help sustain hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of low-income and uninsured patients. In doing so, these hospitals incur tremendous uncompensated costs. Medicaid DSH payments help make up for those losses and, in turn, allow hospitals to keep their doors open and continue caring for our most vulnerable citizens. This bill provides more time for Congress to develop a more sustainable, permanent solution to enable these hospitals to continue operating. Without this important delay, cuts to Medicaid DSH payments are scheduled to go into effect on October 1st, 2019.
“Medicaid is a critical lifeline for low-income folks across Texas and America, many of these folks rely on community hospitals for their care,” Rep. Pete Olson said. “The Medicaid DSH program plays an important role in ensuring quality care. Cuts to this program would create an immediate void for essential healthcare by forcing community hospitals to close their doors. We must act to protect our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly and the disabled. I will continue my fight for this vital delay on the proposed Medicaid DSH cuts to protect our nation’s hospitals and patients. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill and bring it to the House floor for a vote immediately.”
If these cuts go into effect, 186 Texas hospitals will be affected and will lose an estimated $450 million in state and federal funding in 2020.
Rep. Olson and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) recently sent a letter, signed by 300 Members of Congress, to Congressional leaders requesting a delay to Medicaid cuts.