Desoto Regional Health System is facing financial difficulties due to potential cuts to Medicaid as the federal government moves to reduce funding for the program. CEO Todd Eppler expressed concerns about the impact of these cuts on hospital loans and patient access to care. House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose district has a significant number of Medicaid beneficiaries, understands the challenges faced by rural hospitals. The health of countless low-income individuals hangs in the balance as Congress seeks to make budgetary reductions.
I just hope that the people who are making these decisions have thought deeply about it and have some context of the real-world implications because it's going to affect us as a hospital and going to affect our patients.
I've never met a congressman yet that wanted a rural hospital in their district to close, and certainly Mike is no exception to that rule.
Last year nearly 290,000 people in Johnson's district were enrolled in Medicaid, about 38% of the total population.
But those dollars are now in jeopardy, as President Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress move to shrink the nearly $900 billion health program that covers more than 1 in 5 Americans.
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