Rural Mothers Face Fewer Options, With Hospitals Typically 43 Minutes Apart, According to KFF Analysis
All across the country, local health systems are buckling under the crushing weight of Trump’s historic health care cuts. Over one year ago, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress took an axe to our health care system, choosing to cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Now, over 1,100 hospitals, clinics, and essential health providers have closed, cut services or are at risk of doing so, and it’s only going to get worse.
As care gets pushed further away, patients are being forced to spend over 2.5 hours in overcrowded emergency rooms. In Colorado, roughly half of the state qualifies as a maternity care desert, with many expectant mothers traveling over an hour to access care. A recent KFF analysis found that in rural areas, the nearest alternative for maternity care is typically 43 minutes away — an alarming statistic considering that over 50 maternity care providers have closed or announced closure since H.R. 1. In New York, seniors are being kicked out of nursing homes. In Texas, pediatric care is being severely threatened, as local children’s hospitals are set to lose over $2.5 billion annually. Donald Trump and Republicans set off a health care crisis that is affecting everyone, everywhere, and working families are sick of it. This November, they won’t hesitate to make their voices heard.
STAT: How Trump’s Cuts Are Reshaping America’s Health System
KFF: Availability of Rural Hospitals Providing Inpatient Maternity Care in Medicaid
STAT: Hospitals Are Plotting a Long-Shot Push to Roll Back $1 Trillion in Medicaid Cuts
Axios: Americans Spend More Than 2.5 Hours in the ER
Alabama
AL.com: Opinion: Governor and Legislators Need to Act to Save Alabama Rural Hospitals
California
CalMatters: ‘There Is Nothing Else’: Californians Face Eviction as Insurer Cancels Assisted Living Benefit
Becker’s: Sharp Healthcare Reduces Workforce by Nearly 1%, Affecting 260 Employees
Becker’s: California Hospital Suspends NICU Amid Nursing Shortages
Colorado
Colorado Springs Gazette: Healthcare Freefall: Finger‑Pointing Intensifies as Colorado’s Healthcare System Strains Under Rising Costs, Shrinking Coverage
Colorado Politics: Healthcare Freefall: Longer Drives, Fewer Options for Maternity Care in Colorado
Connecticut
Hartford Courant: CT Hospitals Expected to Lose Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Due to Medicaid Work Requirements
Florida
Becker’s: Baptist Health Hospital Ends Pediatric Rehab Services at 3 Locations
Kansas
The Shawnee News-Star: Longtime Local Nonprofit, Gateway, to Shut Down
Becker’s: Kansas Hospital CEO to Resign Amid Significant Workforce Reduction
Louisiana
Becker’s: Louisiana Hospital Lays off 14 Employees, Including Physicians
Maine
STAT: With Medicaid Cuts Looming, Rural Hospitals Already Making Changes
Becker’s: MaineHealth to End Labor and Delivery at Lincoln Hospital
Bangor Daily News: Penobscot Community Health Care Needs $3M to Avoid Bankruptcy
Michigan
Becker’s: Henry Ford Hospital to End Inpatient, ER Care
Missouri
Michigan Independent: Michigan’s Rural Hospitals Closing, Reducing Service After Medicaid Cuts
Montana
FingerLakes 1: Montana Rally Warns Medicaid Cuts Could Further Strain Hospitals
Nebraska
Grand Island Independent: Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska Closes its Behavioral Health Services Program
Nevada
Las Vegas Sun: Democrats Point to Two Nevada Hospitals as Proof of Health Law’s Harm
News3: Nevada Leaders Warn Henderson Hospital Closure Will Strain Clark County Maternal Care
Becker’s: Nevada Hospital to End Maternity, NICU Services – 100 Employees Affected
Fox5 Vegas: Henderson Hospital to End Maternity and NICU Services
Las Vegas Sun: Henderson Hospital to Shutter Maternity Unit Amid Declining Births
New York
Observer Today: Hochul Addresses Nursing Home Closures
13WHAM: Waterview Heights Closure Plan Approved as Residents Begin Moving to New Facilities
Finger Lakes Daily News: Newark-Wayne Hospital Birthing Unit to Close
WHEC: Newark-Wayne Community Hospital Sets Official Date for Closure of Birthing Center
North Carolina
The Charlotte Post: Charlotte HIV Clinic Closing After Federal Funding Shift
North Dakota
Becker’s: Altru Health System to Close Home Health Program
Ohio
Becker’s: UC Health to Close Assisted Living Facility, Lay Off 49
Ohio Capital Journal: Medicaid Changes to Reduce Payments for Hospital Services in at Least 37 States, Including Ohio
Pennsylvania
The Courier Express: Rising Costs, Legislation Impact Penn Highlands Healthcare Hospital Margins
Rhode Island
Providence Business First: Brown University Health Warns of ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Uncompensated Care Surge Amid Insurance Battles
Rhode Island Current: Under Financial Pressure, Brown University Health Mum on Newport Hospital Birthing Center
Texas
Houston Chronicle: Texas Children’s Hospitals Warn Proposed Changes to Medicaid Payments Could Cost Them Billions
Austin American-Statesman: ‘Devastating’: Medicaid Changes Could Cut $2.5 Billion From Texas Children’s Hospitals
Vermont
Becker’s: Vermont Hospital to Conduct Layoffs Amid Financial Restructuring
WPTZ: Brattleboro Hospital Seeks Critical Access Designation to Protect Birthing Center
Virginia
Cardinal News: Virginia Won’t Be Able to Cover Federal Snap, Medicaid Funding Cuts, Governor Warns
Axios: Richmond ERs See Uninsured Surge Before Medicaid Changes Hit
EMS1: VA. Medicaid Cuts Could Strain Mental Health Crisis Response
WSLS: Virginia Hospitals Keep Closing Labor-And-Delivery Units, Stranding Rural Mothers
Charlottesville Tomorrow: Rural Virginia Communities Face Real and Lingering Consequences From Labor and Delivery Unit Closures
West Virginia
WCHS: Outpatient Facility Surgicare at CAMC Memorial Set to Close
WOWK 13 News: CAMC Shutting Down SurgiCare Facility
Becker’s: West Virginia Hospital to Close ASC
Wisconsin
BizTimes Milwaukee: MCFI Shuttering Home Care Service, Laying off Over 100 Workers
HomeCare Magazine: Milwaukee’s Centers for Independence Home Care Program to Close Permanently