The New Hampshire Hospital Association has won a court case against the federal government. It could mean more public money going to hospitals to cover the cost of providing uncompensated care.
The state and federal governments pay hospitals for caring for patients on Medicaid or with no insurance. In 2010, the federal government changed how it calculates those payments. But according to the U.S. District Court in Concord, the feds didn't go through the proper rule-making process when it changed the calculation.
That means hospitals will most likely be owed more taxpayer money. But the federal government could go back to the drawing board to follow the correct channels.
A couple hundred million dollars will be at stake, and the issue will almost certainly come up in state budget negotiations in the coming months.
