Tuesday OHCA got another earful from community members,
providers and experts as they continued the public
hearing on Yale-New Haven’s application to acquire L&M hospital and
medical group. Intervenors, including the CT Health Policy Project, continued
our testimony about likely
price increases and loss of services in the New London community if the
deal is approved. Intervenors and OHCA asked again for price data from previous
YNHH acquisitions as well as the ongoing Community Health Needs Assessment,
required by the Affordable Care Act, and what identified needs the hospital has
acted on. Intervenors also told powerful
stories of lost
services in Windham when Hartford Hospital bought their community hospital
and that L&M clinical services are already well integrated with YNHH independent
of the corporate acquisition. YNHH cited, among other reasons, Medicaid cuts as
a reason to merge, but were reminded of CT’s relatively generous provider rates
and that CT has maintained provider rate increases even after federal funding
ended, despite severe budget deficits that will result in thousands of working
parents losing
HUSKY this weekend.
