Breckinridge County rejects tax for struggling hospital, which blames Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement cuts for its plight

The Breckinridge County Fiscal Court has unanimously rejected Breckinridge Memorial Hospital's request for a tax to shore up the financially struggling 25-bed hospital in Hardinsburg.

The magistrates and County Judge-Executive Maurice Lucas voted 7-0 at a special meeting on Dec. 20 to deny the request of the hospital, which operates as Breckinridge Health, a nonprofit with a home-health service, a nursing facility and primary-care clinics.

The vote followed several public hearings on the request for a tax of 10 cents per $100 worth of property, an especially controversial idea in one of the few Kentucky counties primarily dependent on agriculture.

The critical-access hospital has blamed its financial problems on reduced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, which account for 70 percent of its revenue. It was the lead plaintiff in an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging a decision by the Obama administration that reduced the payments to hospitals who serve a disproportionate number of low-income patients. The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Oct. 1 to hear an appeal of lower court rulings.