Thursday, March 20, 2014

Kentucky Non-Profit Hospitals Net Assets Up 77% Under Obama and the Affordable Care Act

From a review of the Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA), I found 5 Non-Profit Hospital Organizations headquartered in the State of Kentucky with Net Assets (i.e. Financial Strength or Total Assets minus Total Liabilities) at the most recent date of more than $400 mil each.  Below here are the Net Assets of these 5 at both the most recent reported date and also at the Fiscal Year End (FYE) closest to the beginning of the Obama Administration:






FYE Balance Net




Most
Balance Sheet Assets



Most Recent
Sheet Net %



Recent Balance
Date Assets Change



Balance Sheet
Beginning Beginning During
City State Sheet Net
Obama Obama Obama
Hospital Organization HQs HQs Date Assets
Admin Admin Admin




mil $s

mil $s









Baptist Healthcare System Louisville KY Nov 13     1,611
Aug 09       1,036 56%
Norton Health Care Louisville KY Mar 14        868
Dec 08          399 118%
UK HealthCare Hospital System Lexington KY Jun 13        702
Jun 09          544 29%
Saint Elizabeth Medical Center Edgewood KY Dec 13        798
Dec 08          265 201%
Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Louisville KY Jun 13        450
Dec 08          257 75%









Total all 5


     4,429

       2,501 77%

As you can see from the above chart, the Total Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these 5 Kentucky Non-Profit Hospital Organizations increased by a superb 77% to $4.429 bil for their average 4.60 years so far during the Obama Administration.

Very positively impacting this spectacular increase in the Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these 5 Kentucky Hospital Organizations were actions taken by both the Obama Administration and the US Fed to strengthen the US Financial Foundation which was severely damaged from the financial meltdown in late 2008.

In addition, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has also played a key role in this very robust increase in Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these 5 Kentucky Non-Profit Hospital Organizations.

A remarkable thing is that these very robust increases in Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these Non-Profit Hospital Organizations occurred when these Non-Profit Hospitals were also playing very instrumental roles in the substantial annual percentage growth reduction of Total US Health Care Costs which occurred in each of the most recent three years under the ACA.

With such very impressive Net Asset percentage increases of these 5 Kentucky Hospitals, a key beneficiary of this will be Kentucky citizens electing to buy health insurance on the Health Insurance Exchange.  This very strong Net Asset growth gives these Kentucky Hospitals the financial flexibility to moderate their pricing for hospital and other health care procedures in their negotiations with health insurance companies which ultimately determines what insurance premium prices are set at by health insurance companies on the Health Insurance Exchange.    

Kentucky Struggling Hospitals

There are many Kentucky Hospitals which are struggling financially.  Let me just mention 2 which have Current Year Revenues above $400 mil each.

Ashland Hospital posted an Operating Loss of $37 mil on Total Operating Revenues of $486 mil in its fiscal year ended September 2013.  And Owensboro Medical Health generated an Operating Loss of $20 mil on Total Operating Revenues of $429 mil in its fiscal year ended May 2013.

By far the best and only way to solve this financially devastating problem is for the State of Kentucky to fully expand Medicaid, which it wisely did.  With the resultant massive inflow of Patient Revenues from Medicaid expansion, Ashland Hospital and Owensboro Medical Health and the many other struggling Kentucky Hospitals should be able to turn these huge losses into profits.

Because Kentucky expanded Medicaid, one of the key beneficiaries of this resultant very healthy improvement in the Total Net Assets of all Kentucky Hospitals will be Kentucky citizens electing to buy health insurance on the Health Insurance Exchange.  This exceptional Net Asset growth from Medicaid expansion will give all Kentucky Hospitals, the financial flexibility to moderate their pricing for hospital and other health care procedures in their negotiations with health insurance companies which ultimately determines what insurance premium prices are set at by health insurance companies on the Health Insurance Exchange.