Hospitals have spent years amassing political affect on the federal and state ranges. In accordance with the nonprofit OpenSecrets, hospitals and nursing houses’ federal lobbying spending rose from $35 million in 2000 to greater than $133 million final yr, a 280% improve.
They just lately had a singular alternative to flex a few of that political muscle in Montana, the place the state’s Medicaid enlargement program was scheduled to run out in June except legislators and the governor renewed it.
Conservative lawmakers and teams noticed a chance to terminate or slender the Medicaid enlargement program that price about $1 billion in federal and state taxpayer cash final yr to cowl tens of 1000’s of low-income adults. In the end, the conservative Republican lawmakers who occupy state Home and Senate management positions sought so as to add necessities to this system or obtain concessions from hospitals, equivalent to a promise to bolster their group profit spending, in return for persevering with this system that gives them with income.
What was anticipated to be one of many extra contentious debates of the legislative session by no means occurred. The Medicaid enlargement renewal invoice sailed by with little problem and few modifications.
The hospitals spent the final yr working to kind a coalition with companies, well being clinics, doctor teams, insurers, and advocates for folks with low incomes to push for extension of Medicaid enlargement, which supplies authorities well being protection to about 74,500 low-income, nondisabled Montanans. That work paid off when Democratic and average Republicans lawmakers joined forces to push the invoice by.
Hospital lobbyists, led by the Montana Hospital Affiliation, not solely helped steamroll Medicaid enlargement by the legislature, however in addition they defeated almost all makes an attempt so as to add new necessities to this system and to position new rules on the hospitals themselves.
The hospitals’ political pull is acknowledged by pissed off conservative lawmakers who contend that the services, most of that are nonprofit organizations largely exempt from state and federal taxes, want extra oversight and transparency. As Republican state Sen. Greg Hertz put it, “Hospitals don’t appear to need to come to the desk to debate something, whether or not it’s transparency, controlling prices, or offering extra info to the general public on providers.”
Hospitals say they’re prepared to debate methods to enhance well being care in Montana. However in terms of rules they regard as onerous — or lawmaker criticism that they’re uncooperative — they aren’t shy about pushing again. “I believe that we’ve demonstrated that we work on every kind of well being insurance policies,” mentioned Montana Hospital Affiliation president and CEO Bob Olsen.
