CNN recently reported that a shocking report showed that more than 330 hospitals in rural areas of the United States were forced to close completely or severely reduce essential medical services due to drastic cuts in Medicaid policy under former President Donald Trump. This is not just a dry statistic, but a clear demonstration of the increasingly widespread health crisis, especially in communities that are already lacking resources.
According to health experts, Medicaid has long been a lifeline for tens of millions of low-income Americans, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases. However, when the Trump administration implemented a series of budget cuts and tightened regulations on who is eligible for Medicaid, thousands of rural hospitals fell into the situation of losing the most important source of funding to maintain operations.
Many hospitals report that in less than five years, Medicaid revenue has dropped by as much as 40%. This has left them unable to pay their medical staff, as well as maintain important departments such as emergency, obstetrics and cancer treatment. As a direct result, hundreds of medical facilities have been forced to close completely, while others have had to operate at a reduced capacity, reduce services and lay off staff.
A doctor in Kansas shared with CNN: “I have seen the hospital where I work cut almost all of its primary care services. We are down to a small clinic, while local residents have to drive more than 100 km to the nearest hospital if there is an emergency.” This is a common situation in many states in the South and Central US, where rural communities are being abandoned by inhumane health policies.
More worryingly, the Trump administration has gone beyond cutting Medicaid, and is accused of forcing all public health workers to comply with strict regulations, including mandatory overtime and reduced insurance benefits. This has left health care workers already exhausted by the COVID-19 pandemic even more exhausted and dissatisfied.
Public health experts warn that the chain collapse of rural hospitals will lead to a long-term disaster: increased mortality, uncontrolled epidemics, and millions of people losing access to basic health care. In particular, vulnerable groups such as poor children, pregnant women, and the elderly will be the biggest victims.
Many health and human rights organizations have called on the current administration to quickly reverse the above policies, recapitalize Medicaid, and implement an emergency support package for rural hospitals. But deep political divisions in Washington make solutions elusive.
Meanwhile, millions of rural Americans struggle every day without a hospital close to home. Some have been forced to forgo treatment because of the high cost of travel, while emergency cases are lost because the nearest hospital has closed.
The CNN report is not only a wake-up call, but also a stark illustration of the dire consequences when political decisions take precedence over the health and lives of people. And the biggest question is: Who will be held accountable for the more than 330 hospitals that have gone dark, and for the millions of lives that have been lost in rural America?
