Report: Triggered Medicare cuts would hit hospitals harder than nursing homes
Report: Triggered Medicare cuts would hit hospitals harder than nursing homes
Nursing homes will be impacted less than hospitals and physicians if the automatic cuts to Medicare providers are implemented, a new report finds.
The 2% across-the-board Medicare cuts are scheduled as a result of the failure of the Congressional “super committee” to reach a deal. These cuts constitute 7% of the total cuts to Medicare, under sequestration, to nursing homes, compared to a 32% to inpatient hospital care and 12% to physicians, according to an analysis conducted by Avalere Health. Home healthcare providers would see a 4% reduction respectively, according to the report.
Avalere Health CEO Dan Mendelson told The Hill that the report's numbers are based on the assumption that the triggered cuts will actually happen in 2013. Mendelson, like other analysts, said the 2% Medicare cuts are still less drastic than other plans the committee considered.
Other healthcare policy experts are concerned that the automatic cuts could affect programs and departments that rely on discretionary annual appropriations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Kaiser Health News. The CDC plays a key role in preventing and responding to public health emergencies such as natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks and food-borne illnesses.
Click here to read Avalere's analysis.
