New Honest Arizona Report Shows Devastating Impacts of Medicaid Cuts for Health Care In Rural Arizona

TUCSON — As part of a monthlong campaign to commemorate Medicaid Awareness Month, Honest Arizona is releasing a new report showing the devastating impact of Medicaid cuts for Arizonans living in rural communities.

Honest Arizona held a rural health care town hall with health care providers and experts who provided direct evidence of the impact of the Medicaid cuts to rural health care in Arizona.

The Republican Tax Law, that Congressmen Ciscomani and Schweikert voted for, last year made drastic cuts to Medicaid that provides health care coverage for low-income individuals, but also provides a major lifeline for rural health care facilities. 

According to Honest Arizona's report:

“In addition to hospital closures, Medicaid cuts will devastate rural economies and leave patients strapped for care. Many rural hospitals are already financially unstable – 44% are already operating at a loss, and nearly 100 have closed in the last decade. Several Arizona counties already have fewer than one OB-GYN per 10,000 women, and the situation could worsen if rural hospitals close. In rural counties within commuting distance of a hospital, hospitals employ 10 percent of the workforce. More than 300 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure, particularly with H.R. 1’s cuts now in effect.

Five rural hospitals in Arizona, which collectively serve up to 400,000 Arizonans, are considered to be at-risk of closure. Neal Jenson is the CEO of one such hospital, Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center in Globe, a rural health care center with around a third of its patients on Medicaid. ‘What [the law is] going to do to rural health care in Arizona is destroying it,’ said Jenson. “Anytime you jeopardize a third of your payer base, you will have a significant impact.’”

The full report is available online HERE.

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