Supreme Judicial Court denies safety net hospitals’ claims of unfair Medicaid payments
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided Friday that a dispute between hospitals and the state over the adequacy of Medicaid payments is better resolved by the Legislature, as a lower court had suggested.
Boston Medical Center had filed suit three years ago, saying the state had improperly cut payments to the hospital, which cares for a large number of poor patients. Holyoke Medical Center, Quincy Medical Center, and Brockton Hospital, all of which also serve large numbers of Medicaid patients, had joined a similar case and appealed a Superior Court decision that effectively dismissed the claims.
The court decided Friday that the question of what payments are appropriate “rests in the political arena, not in the courts.’’
“We will continue to work collaboratively with the state to make sure adequate resources are available for the care of our patients and that Medicaid rates for BMC and all safety net hospitals cover the cost of care,’’ Boston Medical Center spokeswoman Gina DiGravio said in an e-mail.
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