KEOKUK AREA HOSPITAL NEEDS YOUR HELP
By now many of you have heard the KAH "road show" that is filled with facts and figures about the difficult challenges facing our community hospital. Most of these challenges are financial in nature and relate to two factors;
- KAH receives less than 80% of the actual costs incurred in caring for 75% of their total patients (Medicare, Medicaid, Charity Care & Indigent patients). Other smaller hospitals (Critical Access Hospitals) actually receive 101% of their costs for providing the same or less care.
- KAH operates in a very tough local economy with the state's highest
unemployment (16%), highest percentage of families under the
poverty guidelines (23%), and provides 2-3X the avg. volumes of charity-indigent care ( for which there is usually zero reimbursement)
than most Iowa hospitals.
These two factors have placed a very heavy and unsustainable burden on KAH that cannot continue. KAH is not only an essential part of the infrastructure for residents and businesses in our region, but is also a large and important part of the economy of Keokuk providing 400 direct jobs and total economic impact of some $25,000,000 a year to our communities.
If it isn't already, this needs to be a top priority issue for every Keokuk resident and business and our legislators need to hear from you and demanding their leadership to correct the inequalities that currently exist and threaten the existence of KAH.
Attached are sample letters for your review and consideration and you are certainly encouraged to use them or personalize them in any manner you desire. We are also attaching a contact list with names and addresses that you can use to contact legislators and officials via letter, e-mail, phone or personal contacts. There is also an easy to use link to the Iowa Hospital Association website (www.ihaonline.org) where you can access GOVERNMENT RELATIONS contacts to use as well as all current issues.
Every individual can help make a difference and we appreciate your efforts.