Ohio hospitals’ misguided complaints

Hospitals in Ohio are complaining that proposed cuts in reimbursement by the Bureau of Workers Compensation are unfair, even though the proposed reimbursement level is Medicare +15%. According to one spokeswoman for the hospitals, “There is a misconception that a broken arm costs the same in Columbus, Ohio, as it does in Los Angeles, Calif.,” said Tiffany Himmelreich, spokeswoman for the Ohio Hospital Association, which has 170 member institutions.
Well, talk about a non sequitur. No one is claiming that hospitals in LA have the same costs as hospitals in Columbus. What Ms. Himmelreich is missing is that the proposal would pay the hospital their costs plus a 15% margin. And, with Medicare hospital reimbursement generally accepted as satisfactory, I have a tough time following the Hospital Association’s argument that the cuts are unfair.
Here’s why. Ms. Himmelreich went on to say “”For instance, a hospital with a high level of uninsured patients might charge more than a hospital with a lower level of uninsured.” Since when is it the responsibility of BWC, or Ohio employers, to cover the costs of the uninsured?
I’m as vocal as anyone about the problems of the uninsured, the drag they place on our economy, and the desperate need for our elected officials to get out of their golf carts and fix the problem.
But shifting costs to workers comp payers is not the solution. It hides the problem, and in the long term the Hospital Association’s complaints will do them more harm then good.
Workers compensation premiums are a significant cost of doing business. The BWC is well within its rights to refuse to subsidize a problem that is societal. In fact, between 1997 and 2004, Ohio’s employers overpaid hospitals over half a billion dollars. Think about what that money could have done if it was invested in employee training, new technology, alternative energy sources…
BWC and the Ohio Hospital Association should be working together on the uninsured issue, not fighting.
What does this mean for you?
A reminder to look deeper into issues, because there is a lot of common ground among payers and providers.