The fallout from Donald Trump and Republicans’ devastating cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is driving a crisis across the health care system, with more than 1,200 hospitals, nursing homes, and other critical providers closing, cutting services, or facing the threat of closure. Now, as communities struggle to keep their local providers open, Republicans are offering a $50 billion rural health fund as a solution for $1 trillion in cuts.
Trump and Republicans cut the lifeline millions of Americans rely on and are now offering a fraction of it back to rebuild their image as November approaches. For rural communities already struggling to keep their hospitals open, the closures are piling up: In Maine, the loss of local labor and delivery services has already forced families to travel further for care, with mothers ultimately delivering their babies in the back of an ambulance. And across the country, providers are continuing to shut down specialized services. In Washington, MultiCare Health System plans to close six locations and lay off 138 employees, limiting access to care for communities that rely on these facilities. Similarly in Virginia, a Farmville neurology clinic announced their closure for the end of this month.
Recent National Coverage:
STAT: The GOP’s $50 Billion Rural Health Fund Is Coming Up Short, Hospital Leaders Say
Healthcare Dive: Half of U.S. Hospitals Lack Maternity Wards as Medicaid Cuts Loom: Report
World Atlas: The Counties With No Hospital
Alabama
WAKA: Jackson Hospital announces that it’s emerged from bankruptcy
Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Arkansas Department of Health Plans to Cut 38 Jobs, Eliminate Additional 33 Empty Positions
Illinois
Capitol News Illinois: Illinois Hospitals to Lose Billions Through Medicaid Changes, Study Says
Chicago Defender: People Will Die’: Illinois Hospital Workers, State Senator Lakesia Collins Demand State Action to Keep Safety Net Hospitals Open
WGN: Hearing over future of Weiss, West Suburban hospitals continued
Indiana
Inc: A Fast-Growing Autism Therapy Provider Received $45.5 Million From Medicaid. Then It Abruptly Closed
Maine
WMTW: Special Delivery! Another Waterville Baby Born in an Ambulance After Closure of City Labor Units
WCSH: One mile from the hospital, an unexpected delivery
Missouri
KCUR: Kansas City Hospitals Are Seeing More Patients Without Insurance — And Expect Many More
The Beacon: Rural Missouri families face longer drives, riskier births as maternity wards vanish
New Hampshire
WCAX Dartmouth Health cuts 124 jobs, 300 open positions as costs rise
Becker’s Hospital Review: Dartmouth Health lays off 124, cuts 303 open positions
Oklahoma
Tulsa World: National Report Offers Grim Prognosis for Rural Hospitals, Including Some in Oklahoma
KFOR: Oklahoma Senator’s Son Impacted By INTEGRIS Clinic Closure
Oregon
Roseburg News-Review: Umpqua Orthopedics Announces Closure After Serving Roseburg for 21 Years
KVAL: Summit Behavioral Therapy clinic in Eugene confirmed closed, leaving new hire without job
Pennsylvania
WFMJ: Hospital Worker Pay Delayed, Office Closes
Rhode Island
Ocean State Media: After Deal to Keep Hospitals Open, Rhode Island Union Disputes Closure of Home Health Agency
Vermont
WCAX: UVM Medical Center Ordered to Make Cuts Again as Regulators Approve Hospital Budgets
Seven Days: Vermont Regulators Order Hospital Price Cuts; UVM Hit Hardest
WCAX: More Job Cuts by the University of Vermont Health Network to Improve Sustainability
Seven Days: Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Reverses Plan to Close Birthing Center
Keene Sentinel: Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Won’t Close Birthing Center
WCAX: Brattleboro Birthing Center to Stay Open
Becker’s Hospital Review: Vermont Hospital Reverses Plan to Close Birth Center
VT Digger: Hundreds of layoffs announced at the 2 largest healthcare networks Vermonters rely on
WCAX: UVM Health Network to cut nearly 200 jobs amid budget shortfall
Virginia
WSET: Farmville neurology clinic set to close Sept. 29, Centra cites staffing strains
Washington
KIRO: MultiCare Health System Plans to Layoff 138 Employees, Close 6 Locations
Kent Reporter: MultiCare Layoffs Announced in South King County and Beyond
Spokane Journal of Business: MultiCare Plans to Shutdown Multiple Health Clinics