SAN FRANCISCO — The very people who elected Donald Trump president would be hurt the most from an Obamacare repeal, the chief executive of a rural hospital network said Wednesday.
Lifepoint Health CEO William Carpenter said his company is “actively involved” in conversations on Capitol Hill about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Lifepoint, which operates 72 hospitals in rural and non-urban communities, collected $60 million more in revenue because of the law’s coverage expansions, although that was offset by some hospital Medicaid cuts also contained in Obamacare.
“Repeal and replace — this is the talk of the day,” Carpenter said at the JPMorgan Healthcare Investor Conference. “It is one of the challenges that faces our industry. We are actively involved in Washington advocating on behalf of hospitals but specifically non-urban hospitals, which are so important.”
Hospitals that serve low-income people could be especially affected if Republicans replace much of the healthcare law, as the measure helped millions of poor Americans get coverage through expanded Medicaid or through subsidies to buy private marketplace plans.
