Rural hospitals brace for painful choices after Trump's Medicaid and Obamacare cuts

Rural hospitals say they’re being forced to consider tough choices after President Trump signed into law a domestic policy bill that includes cuts to Medicaid and Obamacare.

Rural hospitals across the U.S. say they’re being forced to consider tough choices — like cutting services for children or cancer patients — after President Donald Trump signed into law a sprawling domestic policy bill that includes sweeping cuts to not only Medicaid but the Affordable Care Act, as well.

Benjamin Anderson, CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, oversees a 180-bed hospital that serves as the only hospital for many residents in rural South Central Kansas.

Anderson said he’s evaluating how the hospital and its broader health system will be able to afford to keep offering all of its services, which includes hospice and home care, inpatient mental health treatment, and a cardiology program.

Services that aren’t traditionally profitable — such as women’s health and pediatric care — will be the hardest to sustain, Anderson said. He added the system is trying to see which programs can be saved.

The cuts in the bill will also mean the hospital will have to continue its hiring freeze — a move that risks burning out staff members already strained from the pandemic and high patient loads.