Marco Photos

Photo by LEXEY SWALL

Bernice Piper, center, waits outside the hospital room as her husband has a chest x-ray taken Friday at the emergency room of HelathPark Medical Center in Fort Myers. Medicaid budget cuts could cause Lee Memorial Hospital to suffer a loss of $40 million this coming year under the Senate plan and $8 million under the House, and NCH would lose $17 million under the Senate and $3 million under the House. The Senate also proposes total elimination of the Medically Needy and Aged/Disabled programs for special Medicaid populations. Medicaid budget cuts in the House or Senate could cause Collier's seven nursing homes to lose a combined $1.1 million under the Senate plan and $1.6 million under the House, and Lee County's 17 nursing homes would lose $3.2 million under the Senate and $4.5 million under the House. Lexey Swall/Staff

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