With a state budget now passed, some health experts say services will be reduced.

Reimbursements for Medicaid services aren't budgeted to increase.

The budget passed by the General Assembly calls for $360 million in cuts to health care. Budget writers expect that to be offset by $370 million from the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage.

However, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association expects costs to provide health care to continue to increase. VHHA Senior Vice President Christopher S. Bailey says he is concerned it will become even more of a challenge to provide health care to people on Medicaid.

He says it could lead to fewer doctors even being willing to treat Medicaid patients.

Virginia health care providers are currently reimbursed at a rate of 72 cents on the dollar, says Bailey. With costs projected to rise, he says providers will not receive enough money back to offset those added expenses.

The Harrisonburg Community Health Center has been seeing the effects of this issue over the last several years. Among other things, the center treats patients on Medicaid.

Executive Director Christopher Nye says he's expecting a 25-percent increase in patient visits this year.

"People are literally forced to make a decision about paying their rent, or paying their mortgage, or keeping their health insurance," says Nye.

Nye says doctors will have to make choices as well.

"You have to look at places to cut. And simply, practices will not be able to carry the amount of Medicaid patients they have been in the past," says Nye.

Though legislators say hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to health care will likely be restored through federal funding, Bailey still has concerns.

"The net effect is to staunch the bleeding. It still presents significant challenges to preserve access and sustain services," says Bailey.

"It's going to put a lot of pressure on the current safety net system, especially the community health center and the hospital emergency room," says Nye.