Legislature Convenes Special Session; Prime Acquires Kansas Hospitals...
Legislature Convenes Special Session To Address ACA Requirements
The California Legislature convened in a special session earlier this week to craft new laws that will be used to expand the Medi-Cal program and streamline enrollment.
The session, which had been championed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is intended to ensure that the state's laws are able to accommodate the expansion of Medi-Cal and commercial coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act. It will also make the process of applying for Medi-Cal program easier – research indicates at least 200,000 Californians who are currently eligible for coverage have not enrolled.
Prime Healthcare Acquires Kansas Hospitals
Ontario-based for-profit hospital operator Prime Healthcare Services has come to terms with an affiliate of the non-profit Sisters of Charity Health System to acquire two of its hospitals in Kansas.
Prime will take over Providence Medical Center in Kansas City and Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, although Prime has pledged to invest a minimum of $10 million in capital improvements and maintain current acute care and emergency services over the next five years.
“We are confident we have found the best organization to ensure a successful future for both Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospital,” said SCL Health President Michael Slubowski. The two hospitals have had charity and bad debt expenses of $427 million combined over the last decade.
“We understand how important these acute care facilities are to the people in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties and intend to ensure they remain in vital service to these communities for years to come,” said said Prem Reddy, M.D., Prime Healthcare's chief executive officer.
California Endowment Pledges $225 Million Toward State’s ACA Implementation
The California Endowment has pledged $225 million to support the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
The funds will be used to encourage enrollment in the Medi-Cal program, help expand the primary care workforce, and explore options to provide healthcare services to undocumented immigrants, who are currently exempt from benefitting from the expansion of insurance coverage as part of the ACA.
Endowment trustees indicated the infusion was important for the state’s future healthcare delivery models.
“We will be able to generate federal matching funds through the Affordable Care Act, and multiply the value of our private sector investment. In our view, this constitutes a triple-bottom line commitment to our state: more jobs, better access to care, and improved primary care services and prevention,” the California Endowment said in a statement.
