Cohen Highlights Work to Help Secure $10 Million for The MED

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Following last week’s meeting in his Capitol Hill office with representatives from Regional One Health (formerly The MED), Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today highlighted an estimated $10 million in federal reimbursements for charity care that Regional One is now eligible for that the hospital would not have received without his work and the work of others in Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation. A photo of the Congressman’s meeting in Washington last week with Regional One Health representatives is available here.

“Thanks to my bipartisan work alongside members of Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation, our state’s hospitals are one step closer to being on level footing with the way other states’ hospitals are reimbursed for charity care they provide,” said Congressman Cohen. “I will continue to seek a permanent fix, but our bipartisan work will allow Regional One Health—The MED—to receive nearly $10 million in payments for charity care over the next year it would not have otherwise been eligible for. These funds will go a long way towards ensuring that Memphis and Regional One Health are able to continue providing care for those in our community who need it most.”

Tennessee currently does not receive permanent “disproportionate share hospital” (DSH) allotments, payments which help hospitals recoup costs incurred while providing care for those who cannot afford to pay. In recent years, Tennessee’s hospitals were able to receive temporary payments through the DSH program, but the provision allowing for that has now expired. As a result of Congressman Cohen’s work and his collaboration with the Tennessee Congressional Delegation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently approved an amendment to TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, that allows Tennessee hospitals to receive additional payments from the Essential Access Pool to make up for lost DSH funds. In Fiscal Year 2015, Regional One Health estimates these payments could near $10 million.