How Medicaid Supplemental Payments Support a Healthy Pa.

HAP advocating for continued funding for lifesaving care

June 06, 2022

In Pennsylvania, Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals help ensure that Pennsylvanians can continue to access many essential health care services.

Pennsylvania does not have a public hospital system. Instead, hospitals partner with the state to ensure all Pennsylvanians can access the care they need. Hospitals are always open and provide care to all who need it, regardless of their ability to pay. Medicaid supplemental payments are one way the commonwealth acknowledges that partnership.

HAP is advocating for the 2022-2023 state budget to include $29.7 million in continued Medicaid supplemental payments Governor Tom Wolf has proposed. That includes $13 million for critical access hospitals that serve rural communities, $8.66 million for trauma centers, $4.4 million for burn centers, and $3.68 million for obstetrics and neonatal units.

Here are five ways that Medicaid supplemental payments support Pennsylvanians’ health:

• Providing lifesaving care:  Payments help support the operation of 49 trauma centers across the commonwealth, which specialize in caring for patients with life-threatening injuries, such as from vehicle crashes or gunshot wounds. Pennsylvania trauma centers saved 47,512 lives during 2020 alone.
• Reaching rural communities:  Pennsylvania’s 16 critical access hospitals provide care in rural communities that would not otherwise have nearby access to essential health care. These hospitals have unique financial challenges and rely on Medicaid supplemental payments to continue to serve their communities.
• Caring for babies and mothers:  Payments to 146 hospitals with obstetrics and neonatal units help ensure care for pregnant people, babies, and new mothers. During 2020, Pennsylvania hospitals delivered 123,376 babies.
• Treating severe burns:  Pennsylvania’s seven burn centers care for patients with complex and severe burns. Some offer specialized care for children with burn injuries. These units face financial challenges so Medicaid supplemental payments help ensure they can continue to operate.
• Leveraging federal dollars:  Pennsylvania’s investments in Medicaid supplemental payments are matched with federal funding, bringing in additional money to support health care for Pennsylvanians.

For more information about HAP’s state budget advocacy, contact Heather Tyler, HAP’s vice president, state legislative advocacy.