'The Business of Health Care Report'

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I’m Doug Hawthorne, CEO of Texas Health Resources, with “The Business of Health Care Report.”

The Texas Health Resources system provided more than $227 million in charity care in 2011. Private, non-profit health systems — including Texas Health, Baylor Health Care System, and Methodist Health System of Dallas — provide more than 50 percent of the care for indigent patients in North Texas. We are critical parts of the safety net that also includes the public hospitals, Parkland Health System in Dallas County and JPS Health Network in Tarrant County.

Even with the potential expansion of Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, almost two million Texans could remain uninsured, and it could be more.

You may have heard about the state’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver and thought, “That has nothing to do with my business.” Actually, it does impact your business, because employers who provide insurance coverage pay indirectly for the care of those without insurance.

While discussions on the Medicaid waiver are ongoing, we’re optimistic. The waiver offers the opportunity for public hospitals and other health systems to collaborate in developing regional plans that enhance flexibility in delivering health services to patients eligible for Medicaid. If more of the uninsured could obtain care through Medicaid, the impact on employer-sponsored insurance could be reduced.

That is why strengthening the healthcare safety net strengthens every business and every community in North Texas.

For our faith-based health system — Texas Health Presbyterian, Texas Health Harris Methodist and Texas Health Arlington Memorial — I’m Doug Hawthorne.