Seattle Children's Faces Budget Cuts

The recession is getting close to home.

If the state budget continues as is, or even as close-to-is, Seattle Children's will face a $60 million budget deficit as result of state Medicaid cuts. That means programs will have to be cut. That means children with certain types of illnesses won't receive care from Children's.

To summarize a fraction of the problem,

Children’s CEO Dr. Tom Hansen says the proposed cuts don’t make financial sense.

"The budget cuts $60 million from Children’s Hospital to save the State only $25 million," he told a news conference in Olympia. "$35 million of this cut is federal Medicaid matching funds that will be lost; turned back to the federal government."

This is, I suppose, one of the prices of being an independent non-profit who serves patients and families who otherwise might not be able to pay.

On a personal level, there is some risk that I might be laid off; there is near certainty that people I've known for years will be laid off.