A University of Louisville official’s meeting Monday morning with state lawmakers got heated as they discussed U of L’s plan to take over Jewish Hospital with the help of a $50 million state loan.
U of L Health CEO Tom Miller told a legislative committee that the university decided to buy the hospital and other facilities KentuckyOne Health owns in Louisville to protect patients from losing the necessary care they provide, which he indicated could not be replaced.
But Sens. Stephen Meredith and Morgan McGarvey questioned why the state should loan the university $50 million.
McGarvey, a Louisville Democrat, raised concerns about how the loan to U of L wouldn’t meet the criteria for the economic development program through which that money would be provided.
And Meredith, R-Leitchfield, indicated that loaning money to help Jewish Hospital while other struggling hospitals receive no such support would be a matter of picking winners and losers.
After the meeting, Miller noted the deal to buy Jewish Hospital can close Nov. 1, even if the state legislature’s willingness to provide the loan is uncertain. Not receiving that loan would put U of L in a difficult financial situation, though, as it tries to turn Jewish Hospital around.
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Written by Morgan Watkins. Cross-posted from the
Courier-Journal via the Kentucky Press News Service.