Dayton Business Journal…
Report: Medicare cuts to cost Ohio 31K jobs
by Laura Englehart
Thursday, September 13, 2012, 10:39am EDT 

Ohio could lose more than 31,000 jobs in the health care industry by 2021, with the 2 percent reduction of Medicare spending that starts in January, according to three national health care associations. 

A report released by the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association and American Nurses Association shows that as many as 766,000 jobs could be lost nationwide in about a decade. 

Ohio would be the sixth hardest-hit state in the country, losing the bulk of those 31,000-plus jobs next year when 20,175 are expected to go, the report shows. 

Many jobs in the Dayton region are tied to health care. 

Premier Health Partners, a network of four hospitals, including Miami Valley Hospital, is the second largest employer in the Dayton region with more than 14,500 workers.

Kettering Health Network, a network of eight hospitals, including Kettering Medical Center, employs about 10,000. 

Estimated job losses in the report include health care providers and other industries impacted by the cuts to Medicare funding at national, state and local levels, the report said. 

To bring down the national deficit, the Budget Control Act of 2011 mandated a 2 percent cut of Medicare spending from 2013 to 2021. 

A Congressional Budget Office analysis estimates those cuts will go from $10.7 billion next year to $16.4 billion in 2021, accomplished through a reduction in payments for health care services. 

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