Question

What % of Medicaid spending in Texas goes towards Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments? Explain the importance of DSH payments.

Answer 1

Ans.

Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Payments--

The United States government provides funding to hospitals that treat indigent patients through the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) programs, under which facilities are able to receive at least partial compensation.

an annual DSH allotment for each state that limits Federal Financial Participation (FFP) for total statewide DSH payments made to hospitals. Federal law also limits FFP for DSH payments through the hospital-specific DSH limit. Under the hospital-specific DSH limit, FFP is not available for state DSH payments that are more than the hospital's eligible uncompensated care cost, which is the cost of providing inpatient hospital and outpatient hospital services to Medicaid patients and the uninsured, minus payments received by the hospital on or on the behalf of those patients.

Important of DSH payment--

Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments are critical to children's hospitals and their ability to provide health care to all children, regardless of income. Congress created the Medicaid DSH program to provide financial help to hospitals that treat a large number of Medicaid and uninsured patients.