Despite the expansion of Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, accelerating demographic shifts and increasing reimbursement pressures continue to put pressure on the health care safety net. And some hospitals’ current strategies to manage payer mix have contributed to safety-net hospital closures, exacerbating market-wide access challenges.
As financial pressures across all payer segments intensify, hospital and health system leaders need a more intentional Medicaid strategy. Providers must protect both margins and access in order to preserve the safety net.
This study teaches the necessary steps for stabilizing the community safety net under current Medicaid economics, explains how to evaluate and navigate the transition to Medicaid risk, and outlines the fundamentals of succeeding under Medicaid risk.