Alabama health care organizations and advocacy groups Thursday expressed concerns about possible cuts to Medicaid in the Senate health care bill, saying it could affect hospitals and pediatric offices.
The Senate version of legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act appears to make even deeper cuts to federal funding for Medicaid than a version that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May. That could mean trouble for Alabama’s health care system, which relies on Medicaid.
“Our initial impressions are that it’s going to be devastating for Alabama’s hospitals, our Medicaid, our health care delivery system,” said Danne Howard, executive vice president and chief policy officer for the Alabama Hospital Association.
Requests for comment were sent on Thursday to the offices of U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Luther Strange, both R-Alabama.