LINCOLN — Recently, Nebraska HospitalAssociation (NHA) President Jeremy Nordquist joined hospital leaders and local health care advocates via Zoom to showcase NHA’s recent member survey results and the negative impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
In a recent survey of its 92 member hospitals, the Nebraska Hospital Association asked for input on their experiences working with Medicare Advantage plans. The result? Medicare Advantage is failing patients and jeopardizing Nebraska hospitals.
Jeremy Nordquist gave a background on the survey and emphasized the impact MA is having on patients and hospitals. “Hospitals are cornerstones of the community and provide much needed access to affordable, quality health care for patients close to home," Nordquist said. "Medicare Advantage impairs their ability to care for patients with undue administrative burdens, payment denials, and lower reimbursements compared to traditional Medicare." Ivan Mitchell, CEO of Great Plains Health in North Platte, noted that next year, their facilities will no longer contract with Medicare Advantage. “At Great Plains our focus has always been on patient care, access, and affordability. Unfortunately, Medicare Advantage does not align with our mission to put patients first," Mitchell stated.
Robert Dyer, CEO, Cozad Community Health System commented, “even though these plans are supposed to follow the same rules and regulations, we find additional barriers to care. Dr. Stephen Mohring, Department of Internal Medicine at Nebraska Medicine, stressed the negative impact of MA for patients. “As an internal medicine physician, I treat a wide diversity of health issues and patients. MA can disregard a patient’s individual medical needs by denying or delaying necessary care." Jed Hansen, executive director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association focused on the impact to smaller hospitals in rural Nebraska. “Medicare Advantage challenges the future of critical access hospitals due to lower reimbursement rates, slower or denied payments, and increased administrative burdens," Hansen remarked. “Without changes to MA, our rural hospitals may be forced to cut staff and services, further harming patient care. Over time, some of our rural hospitals may be forced to close altogether." Speakers reiterated the need for policy changes for MA plans including streamlining prior authorization policies, paying rural adequately to preserve health care services, and additional federal oversight of the program.
