Medicaid Reimbursement Plan: How area hospitals can be impacted

The plan looks to change the Mississippi Hospital Access Program and supplement payments to hospitals for caring for people with Medicaid.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Governor Tate Reeves announced last Thursday his Medicaid Reimbursement Plan for hospitals across the state.

The plan looks to change the Mississippi Hospital Access Program and supplement payments to hospitals for caring for people with Medicaid.

Tyler Holmes Memorial Hospital has been providing care for citizens in Montgomery and Carroll Counties since the 1950s.

With rural hospitals closing down across the state, COO Kim Timbs said every penny counts when it comes to the everyday functions of the hospital.

Governor Tate Reeves’ new Medicaid Reimbursement Reform is projected to generate $689 million to be split among hospitals across the state.

According to the SFY 2024 New Payment Plan Analysis, that would mean Tyler Holmes Memorial Hospital in Montgomery County could see an increase of more than $657,000 in additional repayments for Medicaid.

“If the plan is passed, it will absolutely help the hospital. It will cause us to be more sustainable so that we can continue to provide care for Montgomery/Carroll County residents,” Timbs said.

Timbs said they provide care to everyone, and this would help cover the costs that the hospital is not reimbursed for.

“We continue to see patients every whether they are on Medicaid, whether they are Medicare, commercial population, or no insurance at all, and living in rural Mississippi, we have a high population of patients that are on Medicaid or no insurance at all. So, this will help supplement what we don’t get paid for those patients when they come in,” Timbs said.

There are 74 rural hospitals throughout the state and nearly half of them are at the risk of closing.

Timbs said fortunately Tyler Holmes is debt-free, but that means pinching every penny.

“We’ve just managed our money wisely. We have just always tried to be good stewards of what we do get. We try to keep our costs down the most we can. I really wouldn’t want to speak for anyone else and what their troubles may be. We just hope and pray things get better for them,” Timbs said.

While Timbs is hopeful for the plan, she said it is going to take a lot more to keep rural hospitals afloat in the long term.

“The Medicaid expansion wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would probably help us at the end of the day, but we are thankful for what is happening now,” Timbs said.

The governor’s plan has to be approved by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

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