The New Hampshire Hospital Association says the state’s Medicaid expansion program has caused a steep drop in the number of uninsured residents getting care.
Since Medicaid expansion coverage began last year, emergency room visits by the uninsured dropped by 22 percent this year, compared to 17 percent in 2014; inpatient admissions of the uninsured dropped by 27 percent this year over last; and outpatient visits by uninsured residents declined by 15 percent over 2014, according to the New Hampshire Hospital Association.
The data shows the state’s Medicaid expansion program, called the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan, is working to increase the number of people who have health insurance in the state, according to the association.
Since coverage began in August 2014, an estimated 39,000 residents have enrolled, and the number is growing, increasing by 13 percent since February, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Uncompensated care drives up insurance premiums, helping to make New Hampshire among the most expensive private health insurance markets in the nation, according to the NHHA.
An increase in the number of those insured is hoped to reduce the amount of uncompensated care. Hospitals provided $425 million in uncompensated care in 2013, according to the NHHA.
Hospital margins in the state are already squeezed by a $95 million reduction in Medicare spending for 2015 and lower reimbursement rates.
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At the end of 2014, Moody’s Investor Service Industry Outlook projected a grim 2015 financial future for hospitals nationwide.
“Growth in operating cash flow will be weak, operating margins will continue to narrow, and revenue growth will remain limited,” Moody’s said.
Twitter: @SusanMorseHFN