Phoenix Medical Jobs Would Be Hit Hard by State Funding Cuts
A severe number of Phoenix medical jobs could be lost if the state goes through with planned cuts to healthcare programs.
During a recent news conference, businesses leaders announced that plans to cut state programs that provide healthcare would cost tens of thousands of jobs, and those losses would extend beyond positions in the healthcare industry.
According to an article by the Arizona Daily Star, the cuts will impact the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and the Arizona Department of Health Services. Overall, the state is planning to cut about $800 million, which will ultimately result in the loss of $2.7 billion from Arizona’s economy.
A recent study from researchers at Arizona State University found that the impact of the cuts will be compounded by a loss of about $2 billion in federal matching funds. About 42,000 jobs would be lost in healthcare, social assistance, retail trade, construction, and professional and technical services.
John R. Rivers, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, said the cuts would harm hospitals - which currently employ more than 80,000 people - and in turn decrease the level of healthcare available to the general public, making the state less attractive to companies.
Up until now, the Phoenix area’s healthcare industry has continued to thrive, despite the economic downturn.
The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area’s education and health services industry employed 223,700 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 222,200 workers during November and a 2.1 percent increase from December 2008.
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