Fewer insured patients put CT hospitals in a bind

Many Connecticut hospitals are seeing another spike in patients insured by government assistance programs like Medicaid that don't cover the full cost of service, putting pressure on their bottom lines and raising concerns about their long-term financial stability. Hospitals are also seeing fewer patients with private insurance coverage, which pays higher reimbursement rates than their government counterparts. The sour economy and high levels of unemployment continue to accelerate the cost shift, forcing hospitals to tighten their belts and look for new streams of revenue as more people depend on the government to pay at least part of their medical bills. And federal healthcare reform could add tens of thousands of new patients to Connecticut's Medicaid rolls in the coming years, creating long-term uncertainty.