To express the Sense of the Senate concerning the treatment of physician costs in the calculation of the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital uncompensated cost limit by the State of Virginia.

1. Adds Sec. 222. (a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings: on page 178, line 25

   Adds a sectionPrinted page

   Inserted: Sec. 222. (a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:

   Inserted: (1) Hospitals cannot provide patient care without physicians.

   Inserted: (2) It is particularly difficult for hospitals to provide patient care to uninsured patients.

   Inserted: (3) Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments provide payments to hospitals to provide care to uninsured patients.

   Inserted: (4) Hospitals that provide a large volume of care to uninsured patients incur significant costs.

   Inserted: (5) Since there is no other source of reimbursement for hospitals related to these costs, some States have permitted reimbursement of these physician costs through Medicaid DSH.

   Inserted: (6) The State of Virginia has approved the inclusion of physician services costs as hospital costs for Medicaid DSH purposes.

   Inserted: (7) Fifty percent of all indigent care in the State of Virginia is provided by its 2 academic medical centers.

   Inserted: (8) The financial viability of these academic medical centers is threatened if these costs cannot be included in Medicaid DSH reimbursement.

   Inserted: (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that the Senate is aware of an issue regarding the definition of "hospital costs" incurred by the State of Virginia for purposes of Medicaid reimbursement to that State and urges the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to work with the State to resolve the pending issue.

   Original wording

   On page 178, after line 25, add the following:

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As printed