Rural Hospitals Closing in George as State Refuses to Expand Medicaid
From Ring of Fire:
Another rural hospital in Georgia closed this week due to financial problems partly related to the state’s refusal to expand Medicaid. An increasing number of rural hospitals are suffering due to high rates of unemployed and uninsured patients. Lower Oconee Community Hospital in southeast Georgia is the state’s fourth rural hospital to close in the past two years and health officials say more may follow suit, the Albany Herald reports.
“We just did not have sufficient volume to support the expenses,” CEO Karen O’Neal told local news channel WMAZ. “It’s a terrible situation, and it’s tragic – the loss of jobs and the economic impact.” Residents will now be forced to drive about 30 miles to get care in case of an emergency.
Medicaid expansion would help rural hospitals “by turning many of their uninsured patients into paying patients,” the Herald notes. The Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act sought to expand Medicaid to the nation’s poorest residents; however, states can now opt-out of Medicaid expansion.
You can read the full article here at Ring of Fire.