Mahoning Valley hospitals, practitioners feel Medicaid pinch

Mahoning Valley hospitals and medical practitioners say they are feeling the pinch after the state delayed a provider Medicaid rate increase. (Source: Editorial "Local hospitals take a hit from Medicaid costs," Tribune-Chronicle, Dec. 3, 2007.) The indefinite hold, the result of a higher-than-expected Medicaid caseload, will reportedly cause Humility of Mary Health Partners, which owns St. Joseph Hospital in Warren and St. Elizabeth in Youngstown, and Forum Health, which owns Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren and Northside in Youngstown, to each receive about $1 million less than anticipated in Medicaid reimbursements.

In addition, Trumbull and Mahoning county hospitals are also complaining that they don't receive Medicaid reimbursements at the same rate as facilities in Cleveland, Akron, and Pittsburgh, even though "they pay the same for medical equipment and compete in salary and benefits for the same pool of nurses and other caregivers." U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Niles) tried to have Humility of Mary Health Partners and Forum Health placed in the same zone as the other facilities, but Congress didn't approve the proposal.