Local Leaders Meet to Discuss Rural Ohio Hospital Tax Pilot Program

ZANESVILLE, OH – Local leaders met with the Muskingum County Commissioners as well as commissioners from Hocking and Perry Counties to discuss a new tax program.

Matthew Perry, the President & CEO of Genesis Healthcare System, said over the last year they have been working to create the Rural Ohio Hospital Tax Pilot Program.

He said this Pilot Tax Program is with the State Department of Medicaid and has been approved in the budget for 11 rural counties here in Ohio.

“It gives us the ability to work with the Counties to be able to put together a unique taxing district, that taxes the hospitals only,” Perry said. “And it enables us the ability to be able to pull down additional dollars of Medicaid, federal funding, to be able to support our local community hospitals.”

Perry said there are many other small communities around the U.S. with a program similar to this one. He said it gives these areas the opportunity to have access to more Medicaid funding for those who need it the most.

“The resolution was passed, the Pilot Program is now established and so we’re still waiting on somethings at the federal level but everything is now done at the local and state level. Next it goes to the federal level,” Perry said. “One of the unique things about this taxing district is that the only tax that it is on is the hospital’s themselves. So the county is not on the hook for any of the funding for this and neither are any of the residents, so think about it as a very targeted tax of the hospitals to be able to then be able to bring additional resources to the same hospitals.”

The Rural Ohio Hospital Tax Pilot Program now awaits approval from the federal level.