Hospitals that primarily serve low-income patients could collectively lose $40 billion in funding over the next decade if the Affordable Care Act is repealed and not replaced by something comparable, according to an article on the Modern Healthcare website.
According to a new analysis by America's Essential Hospitals, there will be $40 billion in lost coverage and cuts to Medicaid and Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) funding from 2018 through 2026.
“It's a real possibility that some hospitals will close,” said Beth Feldpush, senior vice president of policy and advocacy at America's Essential Hospitals.
The American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals released a similar report in December that estimated $165.8 billion in losses over the next decade, assuming the 2015 bill, H.R. 3762 is used as the template for the repeal.