OHH to benefit from proposed Medicare bill

A local congressman has introduced legislation that could be crucial to the finances of facilities like Olney Hamilton Hospital, by extending two Medicare payment programs that support rural hospitals and are set to expire in December.

Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, introduced the Healthcare Enhancement for America’s Rural Town (HEART) Act to extend the Medicare Low-Volume Adjustment program for five years, and to permanently extend the Medicare Dependent Hospitals program.

Olney Hamilton Hospital depends on Medicare reimbursements for 40 percent of its revenue, OHH Administrator Michael Huff said.

“The ‘HEART’ Act bill will help small and rural hospitals maintain financial stability. Rural hospitals have lost a significant amount of supplemental revenues over the past five years,” Mr. Huff said.

The bill is budget neutral and enjoys bipartisan support in the House and Senate, Rep. Arrington said in a statement.

“Without local access to healthcare services, residents and the economy in rural America will suffer tremendously,” Rep. Arrington said. “Accessibility to local hospital services can be the difference between life and death for not just the nearly 57 million people living in rural and remote areas across the country, but all those who travel through these regions.”

The Texas Hospital Association supports the measure, as it provides “much-needed payment stability for hospitals in small and isolated communities,” THA President and CEO John Hawkins said. “In a state as large as Texas, access to care challenges exists in many areas.”