Hospital executives create ‘Balanced Health Kentucky’ to pay for medicaid expansion
Updated: 8:23 PM EDT Aug 22, 2018
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WEBVTT TODAY THEY UNVEILED A NON-PROFIT CALLED BALANCED HEALTH KENTUCKY ALONG WITH AN IDEA TO PAY FOR THE MEDICAID EXPANSION WITH TAX REFORM. WLKY’S MARK VANDERHOFF BRINGS US MORE FROM FRANKFORT. MARK BALANCED HEALTH KENTUCKY : HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE HERE IN KENTUCKY. THEIR IDEA INVOLVES LOWERING THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER TAX, BUT EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF PROVIDERS WHO ARE TAXED. >> IT’S CRITICAL. IT’S CRITICAL. 500,000 PEOPLE THE FOLKS HERE , HAVE BUILT THEIR SYSTEM TO ACCOMMODATE THAT. MARK THAT’S HOW KENTUCKY’S THAT’S HOW KENTUCKY’S HOSPITALS : VIEW THE STATE’S MEDICAID EXPANSION, WHICH FACES A $300 MILLION SHORTFALL IN THE COMING YEARS. THEIR GROUP, BALANCED HEALTH KENTUCKY, HAS A SOLUTION TO THE RISING COSTS, EXPANDING THE STATE HEALTH CARE TAX TO MORE PROVIDERS. >> OUR MISSION STATEMENT IS AN OPEN AS IT CAN BE THE RATE TO BE , AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, FOR THE BASE TO BE AS BROAD AS POSSIBLE. MARK EVEN WITH A LOWER RATE, THE : GROUP SAYS THEIR PROPOSAL WILL BRING MORE MONEY. THAT’S BECAUSE THERE ARE 18 TAXABLE CATEGORIES OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, BUT ONLY ARE FIVE CURRENTLY TAXED IN KENTUCKY. KENTUCKY BALANCED HEALTH PRESIDENT RIGGS LEWIS DESCRIBES HIMSELF AND THE PROPOSAL AS CONSERVATIVE, BUT DEMOCRATIC SENATOR MORGAN MCGARVEY SAYS HE’S INTERESTED. >> WE SHOULDN’T STRIP PEOPLE OF THEIR HEALTH CARE BENEFITS AND , THIS GIVES US THE TOOL TO ACTUALLY KEEP THE 500,000 KENTUCKIANS WHO ARE PART OF THE EXPANDED MEDICAID POPULATION IN THEIR HEALTHCARE PLANS. MARK LEWIS SAYS A BROADENED TAX : WILL STILL TRICKLE DOWN TO CONSUMERS. >> BUT YOU HAVE TO WEIGH THAT MINIMAL TAX, THAT LOW RATE, ACROSS A BROAD BASE, AGAINST RUNNING A STATE BUDGET DEFICIT OR ENDING THE PROGRAM. MARK AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE : I TALKED TO A LOBBYIST WHO REPRESENTS SOME OF THE OTHER CATEGORIES OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. SHE SAYS HER CLIENTS DO
Hospital executives create ‘Balanced Health Kentucky’ to pay for medicaid expansion
Updated: 8:23 PM EDT Aug 22, 2018
A group of hospital executives are adding their voice to debate over expanded medicaid in Kentucky.
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