Rural Hospitals in Missouri Struggle to Turn a Profit. Medicaid Cuts Could Force some to Close

Rural hospitals in Missouri struggle to turn a profit. Medicaid cuts could force some to close

Audrain Community Hospital in Mexico, Missouri, closed its doors in 2022. Rural hospital leaders say the recently approved federal budget plan will impact patients no matter what type of insurance they have, as more Missourians defer care and rely more on emergency departments (Meg Cunningham/The Beacon).Missouri’s 67 rural hospitals are pondering a dramatically different future under President Donald Trump’s new budget plan. The recently approv…

Rural hospitals in Missouri already struggle to turn a profit. Medicaid cuts could drive them to closure

Missouri’s 67 rural hospitals are pondering a dramatically different future under President Donald Trump’s new budget plan. The recently approved budget bill will slash federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. By some estimates, it could lead to 8.6 million people nationwide losing health coverage.  Various estimates conclude that between 130,000 and 170,000 Missourians could lose coverage under the state’s Medica…