Bill Robson tells Eyewitness News, "I don't mind shouldering my part of the cuts but it seems like it's those that are least likely to defend themselves facing the cuts."
Many of the residents here use Medicaid to cover a majority of their expenses, but a 10% cut in that money means more responsibility will fall on the nursing home itself in order to keep residents like Bill from paying more.
"We'll have to work very hard to figure out where we can cut, and unfortunately because of the regulations we fall under, we don't have a lot of wiggle room. So, we're really not left with a lot of options," explains Warner Harrison, Owner of Lakepoint.
But the effects of Medicaid cuts stretch beyond just nursing homes. Family practice clinics will have some decisions to make too.
"That's definitely a possibility that there may either be a limit on the number of patients, medicaid patients, accepted or perhaps cutting off seeing any new patients," said Dr. Ron C. Brown, President of the Sedgwick County Medical Society.
Right now, only about one third of Wichita doctors accept Medicaid. If they have to start limiting who they can treat, more people are going to have to come to places like Hunter Healthcare, where their patient reimbursement comes form the federal government, not the state government.
Increasing patient loads at the low income clinics. Dr. Brown adds, "I think anyone who sees Medicaid patients will feel the pinch."
And anyone who is a Medicaid patient. Robson tells Eyewitness News, "Maybe not particularly for me but for a lot of people it is going to be very very painful."
