Kentucky hospital officials don’t seem to want to talk about what will happen if Congress and the White House approve massive cuts in Medicaid this year.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Congressman Brett Guthrie of Bowling Green, is tasked with finding $880 billion in savings over the next decade. Much of that is expected to come from Medicaid, the federal-state cost-sharing program that covers an estimated 1.5 million Kentuckians. WEKU reached out to a dozen hospitals in central, eastern and northern Kentucky, including UK Chandler and Baptist Health Richmond. Several declined interviews and others didn’t respond to our requests for comment. Nonpartisan experts say massive cuts to federal spending on Medicaid would force states to cut services, raise taxes or both.
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