See List of Louisiana Hospitals that Could Be in Jeopardy of Closing

Have you seen the list of hospitals at-risk of closing in Louisiana? Now that the federal budget bill has passed, what does it mean for hospitals in Louisiana? That really depends on who you ask. Some claim hundreds of rural hospitals will be forced to close because of cuts to Medicaid. But others say any closings will not be the result of this budget package. And many of these hospital administrators say this data is seriously flawed.

What Does Senator Cassidy Say About These Claims?

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy tells KEEL News if any rural hospitals do close, you really need to look at the overall picture.

You know if a rural hospital closes, there are different reasons why. There may not be people living there anymore. That just happens. On the other hand, to the degree to which federal policy impacts a rural hospital, we set up a $50 billion dollar fund specifically to benefit rural hospitals.

He says some rural hospitals are doing ok and others are not. The Senator also tells us the federal bill sets up a fund to help keep the struggling rural hospitals up and going.

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But the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform has put out a list of the most at-risk hospitals in every state and Louisiana has several on this massive list. But this report shows about 26 hospitals at risk of closing (46%) with 9 at immediate risk of closing in next 2-3 years (16%)

But another report from the Sheps Center for Health Services Research says 33 rural hospitals are in jeopardy of closing in the next 2 to 4 years.

This report says if these rural hospitals close, many residents would lose access to essential healthcare services.

There are no hospitals in the Shreveport-Bossier area on this list of hospitals at-risk of closing.

But data also shows many of these hospitals are already in bad financial shape because private insurance plans are paying them less than it costs to take care of patients these days. And that is beginning to add up.