Arkansas hospitals like Medicaid alternative

Some members of the state Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee asked at an April hearing whether the program might not be too successful, and Forbes published an op-ed Wednesday in which Josh Archambault alleged Arkansas will be asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for help with handling cost overruns.

The Arkansas Legislative Council held a hearing on the program this week. Bo Ryall, president of the American Hospital Association, presented a report on a survey of 42 hospitals.

Seven reported increases in the number of emergency room visits over 5 percent, but 26 reported decreases in ER use, and 13 reported decreases in the number of ER visits. The average drop was 2 percent, and the fall at four hospitals was more than 10 percent.

The number of ER visits by uninsured patients tumbled an average of 24 percent at the hospitals. Just four hospitals reported seeing more visits by uninsured patients, and 13 reported drops in the number of uninsured patients ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent.

The hospitals reported similar in trends in the number of uninsured patients admitted to the hospital. One hospital reported seeing the number of uninsured patients admitted doubling, but 15 reported drops. The decreases ranged from 20 percent to almost 60 percent.

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