US EditionEssentia Health Warns of Rural Health Care Strain Amid Proposed Medicaid Cuts
WEST VIRGINIA, JUN 24 – Proposed Medicaid cuts could close seven rural West Virginia hospitals and cause 15 million people nationally to lose coverage, experts and advocacy groups warn.
- On June 25, 2025, federal lawmakers debated President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' in the U.S. Senate, which includes major Medicaid cuts affecting rural health systems.
- The bill was introduced in response to financial challenges faced by Northern Light Health, which is carrying over $600 million in debt, alongside the expiration of pandemic-related Medicaid reenrollment policies in 2023 that resulted in millions of children losing their insurance coverage.
- Local health leaders warn the bill's nearly $800 billion to $1 trillion Medicaid reductions impose stricter eligibility, work mandates, and could force service cuts, longer travel for care, and higher costs in rural areas.
- The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 11 million people could lose their health coverage under the proposed bill, and Wypyski explained that such losses negatively affect individuals' health, which ultimately impacts the well-being of the entire community.
- These changes threaten rural healthcare access, potentially leading to limited hours and increased local taxes, while stakeholders urge constituents to contact representatives opposing the cuts.
15 Articles
15 Articles
‘We will see loss of life’: How GOP Medicaid reforms could threaten rural hospitals
NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Julie Tsirkin reports from rural Missouri, where some hospital leaders warn that Republicans’ Medicaid reforms could force closures and jeopardize care in underserved communities.
Iowa’s rural hospital crisis deepens (PT 1) - Cornhole Champions #30
Federal Medicaid cuts threaten Iowa’s already struggling rural hospitals. Nearly half operate at a loss, and proposed $4 billion in funding reductions for Iowa could force more closures in communities that can’t afford to lose their healthcare lifelines. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers and Avery Staker dig into why rural health providers are taking these so seriously. Toss some bags about a “research victor…
Comment: Cuts to Medcaid will hurt nearly half of U.S. kids
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington Between work requirements for parents and lost funding for rural hospitals, access will decline. Comment: Cuts to Medcaid will hurt nearly half of U.S. kids Wire Service
Health care cuts in reconciliation bill will especially hurt rural Maine
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com Raymond Durkee is a retired health care executive and longtime resident of Castine. I consider myself a conservative, but one who has been very confused in the last decade. The Republican Party used to stand for moral decency, respect for the rule of law, and fiscal resp…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
