As Congress deliberates cuts to the Medicaid program, Trinity Health leaders, including Montez Carter, PharmD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Health Of New England and Dan Keenan, JD, Regional Vice President Advocacy and Government Relations, worked to help elected leaders understand the potential impact of proposed cuts.
Trinity Health leaders, including Montez Carter, PharmD, FACHE, President and CEO of Trinity Health Of New England worked to help Congress understand the impact of cuts.
For 60 years, Medicaid has offered a lifeline to 72 million Americans, including seven million older adults and ten million people with disabilities. When Medicaid funding goes down, the number of uninsured goes up, and not-for-profit hospitals have no choice but to make cuts. These cuts could be as high as $1.1 billion across Trinity Health's 93 hospitals.
The regional leaders met with both Connecticut and Massachusetts legislators. They engaged in meaningful conversation with Congressman Richard Neal, who represents Massachusetts’ 1st District which includes Springfield, to thank him for his continued support of Medicaid. They also joined Connecticut Hospital Association members to thank Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy and Representatives John Larson, Jahana Hayes, Rosa DeLauro and Joe Courtney for their continued support of Trinity Health Of New England and all Connecticut hospitals.
Discussions highlighted the cost effectiveness of Medicaid by providing access to primary care and prescription drugs to help to shift utilization from emergency departments to more cost-effective settings and ensure access to care for vulnerable patients.
“At Trinity Health Of New England, our Core Values of reverence and commitment to those experiencing poverty guide our belief that high-quality, affordable health care should be accessible to all,” said Dan Keenan. “We were happy to be in Washington DC along with state hospital associations and other health systems telling our stories and asking Congress to protect Medicaid and access to care.”