Our last number for the week is $144.8 million. That’s how much in hospital costs were billed to the Uncompensated Care Pool for October-December 2006, according to the latest report just issued by the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (not yet online).
That’s down from $168.8 million from April-June 2006, before health reform started. The hospital costs of low-income uninsured are down over 14% from that high point though the first 6 months of health reform.
This is one of the key early markers to assess health reform. As more people enroll in MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, we would expect Pool costs to decrease. That was the experience following the MassHealth expansions in 1996 and 1997.
The period covered by this report catches just the beginning of CommCare enrollment, which continues to accelerate. During this period, Pool caseload dropped by 9% from the previous year, as did inpatient discharges, and outpatient visits dropped by 13%.
These results will also be encouraging to federal CMS officials, who have linked continued federal funding with drops in Pool usage. As the administration, providers and advocates hash out the rules for the upcoming Pool year, it’s good to see concrete evidence of the value of expanded coverage.
Brian Rosman
