title: Will Catholic hospitals survive without government reimbursements?
abstract: This brief essay will begin to address the feasibility of operating a Catholic healthcare system without reimbursement from government healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. This question stems from the recent ACA/HHS "Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities" final rule.Summary: The average hospital in the United States receives 40-50 percent of its net revenues from governmental sources. Participation in Medicare is contingent upon the hospital having a Medicare provider agreement. Participation in other governmental programs (Medicaid) as well as most commercial insurance is also contingent upon that agreement. Hospitals, including "Catholic" hospitals, cannot survive without a Medicare provider agreement. That agreement may be terminated for non-compliance with Medicare and other governmental regulations such as the recent ACA/HHS "Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities" final rule, which could require "Catholic" hospitals to provide services which violate moral principals of the Church.
authors.affiliation: Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Archer
keywords: ERDs; HHS; Hospital; Medicare; Nondiscrimination; bioethics; finance