Let’s wish Medicare and Medicaid a happy birthday

07/31/2015

By W. Stephen Love, President/CEO, DFW Hospital Council I would like to wish Medicare and Medicaid a happy birthday. On July 30, 2015, the programs turned 50 years old. I am old enough to remember the birth of these social healthcare programs, and it was not easy. In 1965, senior citizens over the age of 65 had little income and … Read More

The Golden Hour for Rural Hospitals is Running Out

05/15/2015

Blog by W. Stephen Love, President/CEO, DFW Hospital Council I grew up in rural Virginia. My hometown had less than 1,000 residents and we were thankful for our rural hospital. Rural hospitals today are generally classified into four categories, including Critical Access Hospital (CAH), Sole Community Hospital (SCH), Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Rural Referral Center (RRC). With fiscal cliffs and … Read More

The Face of the Texas Uninsured

04/07/2015

Blog by W. Stephen Love, President/CEO, DFW Hospital Council Numbers do not lie. A study of eight states that chose to expand Medicaid, including Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and West Virginia, was released yesterday and the financial benefits were undeniable. The Manatt Health Solutions and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report concluded those eight states enjoyed a … Read More

Texas battle on Medicaid reform heats up

03/03/2015

With Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick joining 20 Republican state senators in Austin on Monday to announce mandates the Obama administration must meet before lawmakers will consider doing anything with Medicaid, it appears expansion is not even a consideration. DFW Hospital Council President/CEO Steve Love offers his views in this morning’s D Healthcare Daily story. You can read the full article … Read More

What is the alternative to Medicaid expansion?

01/07/2015

In an informative article posted today by D Healthcare Daily, W. Stephen Love, president/CEO of the DFW Hospital Council, offered his insight on a “Texas solution” to Medicaid expansion. Dr. Forney Fleming of the University of Texas at Dallas, Bill Hammond of the Texas Association of Business and Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas also offered their opinions. The feature was penned … Read More

Will the Real Medicaid Program Please Stand Up

04/29/2013

When U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law Medicare 45 years ago, Title XIX was included in the legislation. Title XIX was known as Medicaid and introduced as a welfare program for states to administer to citizens in need. In 1996, U.S. President Bill Clinton separated Medicaid from the welfare status and today, many working Americans qualify for Medicaid … Read More

What About Hospital Patient Care Costs?

04/09/2013

About five years ago, a “think tank” and university published total Medicare costs per beneficiary in different regions of the country. They stated Texas had some of the highest health care costs in the nation. I contacted the people who conducted the study, reviewed their raw data and extracted only acute care hospital expenses. My analysis revealed acute care hospital … Read More

Love supports Medicaid expansion in DMN story

02/13/2013

In response to the Dallas County commissioners’ endorsement of an expanded Medicaid program, Steve Love, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council’s president/CEO, was quoted in The Dallas Morning News article “Commissioners OK expanding Medicaid” in the Wednesday, Feb. 13 edition. In a 4-0 vote on Tuesday, Feb. 12, Dallas County commissioners voiced their support of expanded Medicaid that would cover uninsured … Read More

Medicaid Expansion

02/07/2013

Texas leads the nation with the highest uninsured rate of approximately 27 percent. Roughly six million Texans have no health insurance, including one million children. Forty percent of the state’s pregnant women do not receive appropriate pre-natal care. As Texas residents, these numbers are troubling and ultimately, the key to solve these problems is working together in a collaborative manner. … Read More