Republicans Threaten a Hospital Apocalypse

[Passages]

Experts warn of potentially hundreds of hospital closures, which would degrade the entire medical system.

by David Dayen June 19, 2025

As we at the Prospect have reported, while the Senate’s version of the Republican budget reconciliation bill was widely expected to be more moderate than the House one, when it comes to health care it is more extreme. This came as a surprise to many Republicans, some of whom now want changes. And they all are highlighting the same area of concern. It would be “potentially really bad for rural hospitals,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told The Wall Street Journal. It’s “going to hurt our rural hospitals and hurt them in a big way,” said Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV). Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) expressed “concerns about the effect on rural hospitals in her state.”

This is all certainly true. Senate cuts to the provider tax, a way for states to get more federal funding for their Medicaid programs, along with the House cuts that have been analyzed as leading to at least 11 million fewer people on the Medicaid rolls, will deeply harm the 700-plus rural hospitals already at risk of closure.

But that’s too narrow a frame. The entire health care provider network would come under heavy strain, and possibly collapse.

That’s because each node of the system is interdependent. If the 190 rural hospitals estimated in a recent Center for American Progress report as collateral damage of the Republican cuts close, all of their patients must find treatment at the remaining health care providers. Many of these new-arrival patients are likely to be uninsured (many thrown off Medicaid or Obamacare by Republicans), crushing hospital finances and potentially adding more closures on top.

https://prospect.org/health/2025-06-13-hospitals-senate-republicans-senate/

Looters Incorporated.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Killing and bankrupting Americans are the goals.

[Passages]

2. Yes. Al Capone on steroids.

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. Yep. (n/t)

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Not to worry. They now want to bail the rural hospitals out.

Create a problem, fix a problem. The wonderful cost effective and efficient GOP mode of governing!

[Irish_Dem]

4. Taxpayers fund the destruction of our govt and then will pay to rebuild and repair.

[hildegaard28]

5. And it

Doesn’t actually fix it. It just postpones the inevitable.

[Aristus]

8. And the rubes keep falling for it.

[hatrack]

13. With the fix likely expiring on December 31st, 2026 (or possibly 2028 - whichever games out better)

[modrepub]

6. A Job Killer Bill

Healthcare is usually one of the largest employers in rural areas. Disrupt the healthcare system and whatever tax base you have will be negatively impacted.

M$M, remind me again why Republicans are better business people than Democrats?!?

[DENVERPOPS]

7. Hey Rural America

Bend Over !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Corporate Medical Air Transport corporations are standing by to literally ream you for a medical flight to a big city...........
If your medical malady doesn't kill you, the bill from one of these chopper medical Air corporations will kill you for sure......
Used to be 5-10 grand, now I am seeing reports of 20-40K, which, by the way, the health insurance corporations are refusing to pay......

Most in Rural America voted so foolishly, due to the fact they can't think into the future to see what their vote is going to do to them personally....
They haven't ever heard of the "Law of Unintended Consequences".............

[OrangeJoe]

10. But wait, there's more

Trump is also severely restricting the visas for foreign medical residents who want to do their residency in an American hospital. In addition to the prospective residents who will not be able to receive a visa many more will be persuaded to not even apply to a country that presents so many barriers. So say good-bye to 10-20% of the resident docs in your local hospital.

[Moostache]

11. So wait...voting for the Orange Maggot and his cabal has consequences?

No fuckign way would anyone know that ....


And anyone who believes for a nanosecond that Hawley actually cares about the fate of rural hospitals, you might just deserve the hell his cronies and best friends are creating for you.

Vote as if your life depends on it was not a fucking slogan...it was a promise.

[Karasu]

12. K&R.