Company: UHS
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-027785
Chunk: 306

Company: UNIVERSAL HEALTH SERVICES INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 7
Chunk 306
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 Given increasing budget deficits, the federal government and many states are currently considering additional ways to limit increases in levels of Medicare and Medicaid funding, which could also adversely affect future payments received by our hospitals. In addition, the uncertainty and fiscal pressures placed upon the federal government as a result of, among other things, economic recovery stimulus packages, responses to natural disasters, and the federal and state budget deficits in general may affect the availability of government funds to provide additional relief in the future. Changes resulting from the outcome of the 2024 elections may include increased reliance on Medicare Advantage programs, work requirements for Medicaid waiver program eligibility, increased focus on hospital outpatient site neutral payment policies, and similar initiatives that may reduce the availability of funding for federal healthcare programs or make eligibility for benefits more difficult. There have been proposals to substantially decrease federal funding for state Medicaid Programs. Any significant reduction in federal Medicaid funding to states would likely result in states reducing Medicaid payments to us which would have a material adverse effect on us. We are unable to predict the effect of future policy changes on our operations.

In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “Legislation”) was enacted and its two primary goals were to provide for increased access to coverage for healthcare and to reduce healthcare-related expenses. The Legislation revised reimbursement under the Medicare and Medicaid programs to emphasize the efficient delivery of high-quality care and contains a number of incentives and penalties under these programs to achieve these goals. The Legislation provides for reductions to Medicaid DSH payments which are scheduled to begin in 2025.

A 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling limited the federal government’s ability to expand health insurance coverage by holding unconstitutional sections of the Legislation that sought to withdraw federal funding for state noncompliance with certain Medicaid coverage requirements. Pursuant to that decision, the federal government may not penalize states that choose not to participate in the Medicaid expansion by reducing their existing Medicaid funding. Therefore, states can choose to expand or not to expand their Medicaid program without risking the loss of federal Medicaid funding. As a result, many states, including Texas, have not expanded their Medicaid programs without the threat of loss of federal funding. CMS has previously granted section 1115 demonstration waivers providing for work and community engagement requirements for certain Medicaid eligible individuals. CMS has also released guidance to states interested in receiving their Medicaid funding through a block grant mechanism. The Biden administration withdrew certain previously issued section 1115 demonstrations aligned with these policies, but Georgia has imposed work and