Ohio Catholic bishops decry proposed hospital fee

In a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland, Archbishop of Cincinnati Daniel Pilarczyk outlined a series of concerns the state’s bishops have with health-related budget proposals (Source: “Ohio’s Medicaid cuts worry Catholic bishops,” Business Courier of Cincinnati, April 3, 2009).

Among those concerns is the governor’s plan to increase franchise fees that hospitals pay the state.

“Our estimates show that the proposed assessment will have a negative impact of at least $75 million on providing care in Ohio’s Catholic hospitals,” Pilarczyk wrote in the letter.