Across the country, rural communities are raising the alarm as Donald Trump and Republicans’ devastating cuts to health care wreak havoc. After the GOP slashed over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, nearly 800 hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other critical providers have closed, are at risk of closing, or have been forced to cut essential services.
These cuts have left entire communities without access to basic care, from emergency rooms to maternity wards, fueling a health crisis that hits hardest in areas already struggling with limited resources. Families are facing rising medical costs as local hospitals close, traveling hours just to access care that used to be nearby, and, in some cases, going without essential care entirely. Every hospital or clinic that shuts its doors or ends services leaves neighbors left without life-saving care, communities stripped of vital services, and families forced to make impossible choices just to survive.
This March, Protect Our Care’s “Technical Foul: The GOP’s Health Care Madness” campaign is spotlighting the fallout of Republicans’ health care cuts — from hospital closures to skyrocketing costs — by spotlighting real stories of people and communities already feeling the impact.
Recent National Coverage
Grocery Dive: Kroger Plans to Shutter 50 Little Clinics
Michigan Independent: New Rural Health Fund Offers Little Relief From Federal Medicaid Cuts, Experts Say
Harvard: Millions of Military Personnel May Rely on Hospitals Facing Financial Challenges
Idaho
Idaho County Free Press: Opinion: Clock Is Ticking for Idaho’s Rural Hospitals
Illinois
Chicago Tribune: Waukegan Hospital’s Financial Woes Continue; Future Unclear
Hyde Park Herald: Area Hospitals Brace for Medicaid Cuts as Uninsured Patients Rise
Iowa
Iowa Starting Line: Ottumwa Residents Say ‘The System Will Crash’ After Medicaid Cuts
Maine
Beckers: Another Maine Physician Practice Shutters
Massachusetts
Berkshire Eagle: Berkshire Health Leaders Warn Medicaid Cuts Could Affect Local Services
Minnesota
CBS: HCMC Doctor Says Hospital’s Closure Would Endanger Health Database, Cause “Public Health Crisis”
Nebraska
KLKN: Rural Hospitals Express Concerns After Federal Funding Granted to Nebraska
Nevada
KTNV: Boulder City Hospital Designation and Services Set to Change
New Jersey
Gothamist: Jersey City Hospital Closes Despite Fierce Local Opposition
New York
WWNY: Carthage Residents, Business Leaders Voice Concern Over Potential North Star Cuts
WHEC: Local Healthcare Workers Set to Join Thousands of Others in Albany After Declaring a ‘Code Red’
South Carolina
South Carolina Daily Gazette: SC Rural Hospital Asks Legislators to Enact Safety Net in Preparation for Medicaid Cuts
Tennessee
WSMV: Staffing Shortage Forcing McMinnville VA Clinic Closure
Washington
KREM: Spokane Allergy & Asthma Clinic Closing Indefinitely
West Virginia
WVPB: How Hospital Closures Are Affecting Rural Communities, This West Virginia Morning
Wyoming
KHOL: An Infusion Clinic Closed. Cancer Patients Now Drive a Longer Road