Wichita County approves 6% mandatory hospital payment rate to unlock federal match

The Wichita County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Feb. 13 to set the fiscal 2026 mandatory payment rate for the county's Healthcare Provider Participation Program at 6 percent, a rate the court was told is designed to maximize federal matching funds for local hospitals.

Bob Pert, chief financial officer at United Regional Healthcare System, told the court the program was created after state legislation in 2019 and lets hospitals send local tax dollars to the state to draw down federal matching dollars that return to the community to help cover uncompensated care and Medicaid shortfalls. "It's basically a matching program," Pert said, adding that the program helps cover "upwards of $50,000,000 of uninsured and shortfalls that Medicaid has."

County officials explained the program is not a new county tax on patients. "There's no tax on the patient to an extent," Pert said when asked whether the charge appears on patient bills. County leaders said the methodology means roughly 40 cents in local payments can pull down about a dollar in federal funds.

After the presentation, Commissioner Mahler moved and Commissioner Beauchamp seconded a resolution to set the mandatory payment rate at the 6 percent cap; the motion carried 50. The court authorized the county judge to sign the resolution.

Why it matters: County officials said the local payments enable hospitals to access substantially more federal funding than the local dollars remitted, supporting safety-net services for Wichita County and the surrounding region.

What comes next: The signed resolution sets the county's participation rate for fiscal 2026; according to presenters, the participating hospitals will use the rate to complete reports and match federal funds under the program. The court did not amend the program authorization language beyond the motion to adopt the 6% rate.