MHA CEO Brian Peters spoke with Michael Patrick Shiels of Michigan’s Big Show June 3 as part of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s 2022 Mackinac Policy Conference.
Peters shared how the conference presented an opportunity for MHA members and staff to engage with lawmakers and Gov. Whitmer on the many challenges facing hospitals and health systems, with the primary focus being the healthcare workforce.
“We’re dealing with the same supply chain and inflation issues that everyone else is dealing with, but unlike many others in our economy, our ability to pass those increased costs along to consumers is extremely limited. Medicare and Medicaid tells us what they will pay. Our private insurance contracts are negotiated well in advance with very limited ability to adjust on the fly. We can’t simply overnight increase those salaries and benefits without having a real impact on the bottom line. That is the financial conundrum our member hospitals have today.”