They also are scheduled to visit Hamilton, Browning and Great Falls. White said he wants Medicare payments to hospitals to be timely and adequate. Hospitals bill Medicare for the treatment of Medicare-insured patients. However, in 2000, Medicare and Medicaid discounted the services 44 percent. Hospitals are forced to look elsewhere to meet their costs for public programs, often by turning to those with private insurance.
Adequate reimbursement is especially important in Montana, a rural state with an aging population.
Montana hospital patients can be 60 to 80 percent government-pay patients, the Montana Hospital Association reports. Health care costs more in rural settings, Olsen said, so federal policies designed in eastern urban areas often don t apply. For instance, hospitals now are struggling with federal reluctance to pay for air ambulance in favor of ground transportation. However, Olsen said, We transport patients far greater distances. Medicare payments are based on average costs and volume and the availability of multiple health care providers, White said.