Senator Reverend Warnock, Georgia Lawmakers Decry Proposed Reduction to Federal Funding for Georgia Hospitals

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) led every Democrat in Georgia's congressional delegation in opposing a provision added to the Build Back Better framework that would penalize Georgia hospitals. In a letter delivered today to the top Democratic members of both the U.S. Senate and House, Senator Warnock and the lawmakers urged the congressional leaders to remove a provision from the package reducing the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) funding allotment that Georgia and other states that haven't expanded Medicaid currently receive. The DSH program provides funding to hospitals that serve a high proportion of vulnerable patients, and under the current proposal, Georgia hospitals would see a 12.5 percent reduction in federal funding from the program. In their letter, Senator Warnock and his colleagues expressed their adamant opposition to the proposed reduction and the harmful impacts it would have on public health in Georgia.

"The DSH program assists hospitals that serve a high Medicaid and uncompensated care population and is meant to support hospitals for treating the most vulnerable patients. Reducing federal funds to hospitals and providers can be detrimental to their survival, and in the midst of a global pandemic, we should not be imposing additional financial constraints. It is critical that we do everything we can to support our providers and ensure they are able to provide the best care to patients across this country. A reduction in DSH could jeopardize their ability to provide such care," the lawmakers wrote.

"I'm proud that we're inches away from expanding affordable, comprehensive health care coverage to 646,000 Georgians, which will help save lives and support our health care systems. But the last thing Georgia hospitals and patients need right now is a reduction in federal funding, especially as they're working overtime to keep our families and communities safe and healthy during this pandemic," Senator Reverend Warnock added. "I vehemently oppose this provision, and I'm working as hard as I can to remove it from the economic package and make sure Georgia hospitals are getting the full federal resources they rely on. In the richest nation in the world, we should be able to close the coverage gap without sacrificing critical support for our hospitals."

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