The threat of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act doesn’t only put health insurance coverage for millions of people in jeopardy. It will also come at a huge financial cost to hospitals in bad debt and threaten innovative programs they’ve put in place to improve patient care.
And it’s more than just the money they’ll lose through uncompensated costs for caring for patients without insurance. Industry experts told NPR that the financial incentives Medicare provides for hospitals to try new approaches to improve patient care are also in jeopardy.
