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. 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.