Will mass layoffs affect Manatee County’s uninsured and low-income patients?
By Florence Fahringer
Original Air Date: November 20, 2024
Host: An estimated 25% of the working-age population in Manatee County is uninsured. That’s 47,000 people in Manatee, and another 44,000 in Sarasota who are going without health insurance. These people could now be facing disruptions of the basic care they do receive, after the biggest regional provider filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, as Florence Fahringer learned.
Florence Fahringer: MCR Health is a non-profit organization which specializes in providing care for Manatee County’s uninsured and impoverished residents. Of its hundred thousand current patients, half of them are below the poverty line. This Friday, the organization filed for bankruptcy, and now anticipates mass lay-offs of its eight hundred employees.
MCR provides healthcare services to 100,000 patients in Manatee, DeSoto and Sarasota Counties. Half of them live below the poverty line. Photo courtesy MCR
Per the Bradenton Herald, court records described the “circumstances which triggered this” as “unforeseeable,” citing lower mental health reimbursement rates, high rent at certain locations, as well as “substantial damage” from this year’s hurricane season. At least one location has been closed until further notice due to Hurricane Milton.
Shannon Hoyt is the executive director of We Care Manatee, an organization that helps uninsured residents of Manatee County receive the medical care they need. She describes the role MCR Health plays in providing care to such county residents.
Shannon Hoyt: MCR works really well with us, and they send us a lot of referrals. So if they have people that they’re seeing that, could use one of our services, or one of our specialty doctors, they’ll refer in. It really varies depending on the month, to be honest. But I would say at least a quarter of what we see is somehow connected with MCR.
FF: MCR Health’s importance to Manatee County’s lower-income residents has only grown in the past few months.
SH: In the past year, Manatee Memorial removed themselves from the county health care plan, which was a huge upset in the community. So, because Manatee Memorial doesn’t do a lot in terms of working with nonprofits and working with those who are uninsured, MCR really help out our community in giving provided services.
FF: Though she’s uncertain about how this will ultimately affect the uninsured and impoverished residents of Manatee County, she certainly has an outcome she’s hoping for.
SH: But my hope is that this is really kind of a strategic move just to balance the ship and that the patient impact will be minimal. Because they do really good service here in the community for our patients. Again, we have limited healthcare options in Manatee, so I think making sure that those that are here and are serving the patients well … We really need everyone to kind of come together to make sure that this is a county that has amazing health care for its citizens.
FF: Our news team reached out to MCR Health for comment, but did not hear back before deadline.
This is Florence Fahringer, reporting for WSLR News.
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