Medicaid boost could help Yuma hospitals, but long-term fix still unclear
Samuel Kirk
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – New federal Medicaid payments are headed to Arizona, and health care leaders say they could offer much-needed relief for hospitals serving high numbers of low-income patients, including those in Yuma County.
At Onvida Health, President and CEO Dr. Robert Trenschel said the additional funds are a welcome boost, but warned they don’t solve the root problem.
He emphasized that Medicaid plays a crucial role in rural communities like Yuma, where the majority of patients rely on it for coverage.
“If you cut Medicaid, you cut the whole system,” Dr. Trenschel said. He explained that Medicaid isn’t just a low-income program. It’s the foundation that supports hospitals’ ability to treat everyone, including those with private insurance.
Nearly half of Yuma County’s population, around 85,000 people, is enrolled in Medicaid, and Trenschel said that without the program, Yuma Regional wouldn’t be able to sustain its current level of care.
Not everyone agrees with how the federal government is handling the funding.
Yuma resident Ron Dauzenroth said he’s concerned about waste. He pointed to his wife’s four-decade career with the federal government, and the experiences of friends who’ve also worked in government, as evidence that inefficiency is common.
“My wife worked for the federal government for 42 years and said there was just so much waste in it,” Dauzenroth said. “We’ve got three friends who have moved down here and they all worked in the federal government—and they all believed there was just so much waste. And I gotta believe there’s some in Medicaid and Medicare as well.”
The state’s temporary funding bump came after the Arizona Legislature authorized a new reimbursement model earlier this year. Hospitals like Yuma Regional, which serve large numbers of Medicaid patients, are eligible for supplemental payments aimed at closing the gap between treatment costs and what the state reimburses.
While the funding may help stabilize services for now, Trenschel said a long-term commitment to Medicaid is essential to keep rural hospitals from falling further behind.