Healthcare workers cite role of higher-cost providers and underpayments by Medicaid/Medicare in closure of Quincy Medical Center
QUINCY, MA – For more than a year, 1199SEIU caregivers have publicly warned that business decisions and market consolidations by higher-cost providers such as Atrius/Granite Medical Group and Partners HealthCare were a threat to lower-cost community providers such as Quincy Medical Center.
Steward Health Care has offered assurances to 1199SEIU caregivers that it will work jointly with union members to help place them in open jobs elsewhere within the Steward network or beyond.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the state’s largest healthcare union, represents more than 400 workers at Quincy Medical Center in a range of service, clerical, and technical positions. Veronica Turner, the leader of 119SEIU in Massachusetts, released the following statement today regarding the closure of Quincy Medical Center.
“The closure of this high quality, low-cost community hospital is a direct consequence of higher-cost providers like Atrius and Partners wielding disproportionate power in the market. It is also a result of chronic underpayments by Medicaid and Medicare to community hospitals across the state, including to Quincy Medical Center.
1199SEIU caregivers have security and transfer provisions in our contract with Steward that will help facilitate the placement of a large number of QMC workers in jobs elsewhere within the Steward network. Steward has done the right thing in agreeing to help displaced workers find employment through vacancies elsewhere within Steward Health Care or beyond.
It is troubling to see a high quality, low-cost institution that has served the community of Quincy for over 100 years fall victim to powerful, higher-cost providers like Atrius and Partners who are not adequately considering the impact their business decisions are having on consumers or the community.” – Veronica Turner, 1199SEIU Executive Vice President
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Representing nearly 50,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and nearly 400,000 workers across the East Coast, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union.
QUINCY, MA – For more than a year, 1199SEIU caregivers have publicly warned that business decisions and market consolidations by higher-cost providers such as Atrius/Granite Medical Group and Partners HealthCare were a threat to lower-cost community providers such as Quincy Medical Center.
Steward Health Care has offered assurances to 1199SEIU caregivers that it will work jointly with union members to help place them in open jobs elsewhere within the Steward network or beyond.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the state’s largest healthcare union, represents more than 400 workers at Quincy Medical Center in a range of service, clerical, and technical positions. Veronica Turner, the leader of 119SEIU in Massachusetts, released the following statement today regarding the closure of Quincy Medical Center.
“The closure of this high quality, low-cost community hospital is a direct consequence of higher-cost providers like Atrius and Partners wielding disproportionate power in the market. It is also a result of chronic underpayments by Medicaid and Medicare to community hospitals across the state, including to Quincy Medical Center.
1199SEIU caregivers have security and transfer provisions in our contract with Steward that will help facilitate the placement of a large number of QMC workers in jobs elsewhere within the Steward network. Steward has done the right thing in agreeing to help displaced workers find employment through vacancies elsewhere within Steward Health Care or beyond.
It is troubling to see a high quality, low-cost institution that has served the community of Quincy for over 100 years fall victim to powerful, higher-cost providers like Atrius and Partners who are not adequately considering the impact their business decisions are having on consumers or the community.” – Veronica Turner, 1199SEIU Executive Vice President
# # #
Representing nearly 50,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and nearly 400,000 workers across the East Coast, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union.
