Alaska hospitals, nursing homes face budget gap in Legislature's bill

Alaska’s Medicaid program may run out of money as soon as the second week of June, leaving doctors, hospitals and nursing homes with unpaid bills for legally required care.

The state will eventually pay those bills, but the gap is expected to stress the finances of small institutions across the Alaska and lead to another significant funding shortfall in 2019.

According to Pat Pitney, director of the Alaska Office of Management and Budget, the state’s $1.5 billion capital construction and renovation budget does not include enough money to cover a $20 million gap in the current fiscal year’s Medicaid funding.

The state spends an average of $13 million per week on Medicaid for the 202,078 Alaskans enrolled in the program, and after the Legislature adjourned early Sunday morning, Pitney said the program may run out of money about June 10.

Read more: http://www.juneauempire.com/state/news/2018-05-14/alaska-hospitals-nursing-homes-face-budget-gap-legislature-s-bill