Washington Hospitals Sue Over Cruel and Unusual Medicaid ED Visit Limits

I’ve heard of some draconian budget-cutting measures, but the following, proposed by officials in Washington state, just about takes the cake. Good to see that the state’s hospitals, along with its doctors, are rightfully attempting to slam the door shut onMedicaid planners’ obscene antics.

A new state plan in Washington proposes to limit payment for Medicaid patients’ emergency department visits, on the extremely dubious assumption that such patients can self-diagnose whether they ought to be there in the first place. Not only is this program unlikely to save any real money (unless you count the money saved by not having to care for dead beneficiaries), it assumes that emergency department staffers are adding useless layers of expertise so often that their services should be choked back dramatically. The truth is, there’s boatloads of evidence that the poor aren’t the biggest users of ED services for non-emergent conditions, but I suppose these state penny-pinches wouldn’t be bothered by the facts.

Get this. The state’s Medicaid folks want to cover only three “non-emergency” visits per year — enough of a disincentive to prevent people from going in the first place — but it doesn’t end there. The plan would classify more than  700 diagnoses as “non-emergent,” including (wait for it) chest pain, abdominal pain and breathing problems.  So, I take it that pregnant women, infants, children, the disabled and the mentally ill are supposed to decide with a home thermometer and a bit of prayer whether they’re actually in danger?

According to the folks suing the state, which include the state medical association, hospital association and chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, this program not only endangers patients, but also has thrown a cloud of smoke around payment issues. Specifically, the plaintiffs argue that the state is threatening patients that they’ll be billed directly, while EMTALA and state charity care laws prohibit patient billing.

Folks, if I were a hospital executive, I’d be suing to avoid legal and political messes that will arise here, sure. But I’d be sick to my gut about what such rules would mean to real people, too. I truly hope that’s what the suing hospitals have in mind.

About the author

Anne Zieger

Anne Zieger is a healthcare journalist who has written about the industry for 30 years. Her work has appeared in all of the leading healthcare industry publications, and she's served as editor in chief of several healthcare B2B sites.

   

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