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Dr. Katz addresses absorption of SUNY Downstate patients and potential financial impacts
1:05:37
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59 sec
Dr. Mitchell Katz discusses the current and potential future impacts of SUNY Downstate's service reductions on Health + Hospitals, particularly Kings County Hospital. He also touches on the financial implications of possible Medicaid cuts. Key points include:
- Kings County Hospital has already absorbed some patients due to SUNY Downstate's service closures
- H+H can generally manage increased patient volume if insurance coverage remains intact
- H+H's lower cost structure compared to private hospitals allows them to operate efficiently on Medicaid reimbursements
- Potential Medicaid cuts could pose significant financial challenges if patients lose insurance coverage
- Dr. Katz emphasizes that H+H's ability to absorb additional patients depends on maintaining current insurance coverage levels
- He warns that loss of insurance coverage would lead to increased uncompensated care, straining H+H's finances
Mitchell Katz
1:05:37
So we are much fuller because of that, but we will keep staffing up depending upon what happens to that hospital.
1:05:49
And again, you know, before there are any drastic Medicaid cuts, we can generally fund ourselves increased volume if it's just the volume.
1:06:01
If we're not building anything, if we're generally insurance will pay us our costs.
1:06:07
Our costs are much lower than Mount Sinai, much lower than NYU because we don't pay people what they pay them.
1:06:14
So we can generally make it work on Medicaid.
1:06:18
But obviously if there are a lot of people who lose insurance coverage, then we'll have the same expense because losing Medicaid doesn't make you healthier, or in fact it makes you sicker.
1:06:29
So the same number of people will come, but now there'll be no paying source.
1:06:33
So that would take us to a different area.