Since 1997, several key pieces of legislation have resulted in the creation and modification of the critical access hospital (CAH) program.
Medicaid
Pressure to reduce the federal deficit, and rising Medicaid expenditures, have made Medicaid a target for federal spending cuts. Enrollment in Medicaid continues to rise, surpassing Medicare in 1999, with the bulk of the dollars going to nursing home and hospital care, and to the elderly and…