Governor Matt Bevin’s promise to dismantle Kynect has not left Murray Calloway County Hospital untouched. However, CEO Jerry Penner says Bevin’s promise won’t diminish patient volume or care.
“I don’t think they’re (patients) going to be unhappy with the hospitals because the care’s going to be good. I think they’ll be a little more unhappy about having to go through an administrative process if they’re gonna think well who’s covering me now?” Penner said.
Penner says in the next six months they could have a cash flow problem of $200,000 dollars that typically comes from Kynect patients. He doesn’t foresee any job loss or a decline in patient satisfaction as a result of the dismantling of Kynect. Penner says there will be a transition period in which a group of people aren’t going to be insured.
“Because patients are going to come to us one way or another. There’s a possibility that our charity care could go back up or our bad debt could go back up. From a patient satisfaction we’re still going to deliver the care so they’re going to be happy with us,” Penner said.
Penner says in places like Murray, where the hospital is the number-two employer in town it would be tough for them to start cutting services. In the event that they didn’t have the money available to do what they need to do.
Last year some MCCH employees received a two percent raise, and the entire staff will receive a one percent raise in April this year.
