The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.
Eleven rural Ohio hospitals were recently listed as at-risk under President Donald Trump’s spending bill, which was signed into law last week and includes more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid.
Democratic U.S. Senators Edward Markey, Jeffrey Merkley, Ron Wyden, and Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on June 12 outlining hundreds of hospitals that were considered at-risk under Trump’s spending bill.
“Enacting these drastic health care cuts that will kick millions of people off their health insurance coverage, rural hospitals will not get paid for the services they are required by law to provide to patients,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “In turn, rural hospitals will face deeper financial strain that could lead to negative health outcomes for the communities they serve.”
The 11 Ohio hospitals listed as at-risk under Trump’s spending bill according to the senators letter:
- Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth (Scioto County).
- Wayne Hospital Company in Greenville (Darke County).
- East Liverpool City Hospital in East Liverpool (Columbiana County).
- Coshocton Regional Medical Center in Coshocton (Coshocton County).
- Twin City Medical Center in Dennison (Tuscarawas County).
- Harrison Community Hospital in Cadiz (Harrison County).
- Bucyrus Community Hospital in Bucyrus (Crawford County).
- Holzer Medical Center in Jackson (Jackson County).
- Galion Community Hospital in Galion (Crawford, Morrow, and Richland counties).
- Adams County Regional Medical Center in Seaman (Adams County).
- Fayette County Memorial Hospital in Washington Court House (Fayette County).
The letter said hospitals were “at risk of financial distress and even closure, conversion, or service reductions because of the cuts.”
The Ohio Capital Journal reached out to the hospital systems for comment, but most did not respond by deadline. Those that did respond either said they are not at risk of closing or declined to comment.
“Avita Health System, which includes Bucyrus and Galion Hospitals, is not financially at risk of closing,” said Kim Winkle, vice president of operations for Avita Health System.
Adena Health System, which oversees Fayette County Memorial Hospital, declined to comment.
Wayne HealthCare, which oversees Wayne Hospital, said in a June 24 press release they are not at risk of closing or cutting services, but said the spending bill “could have devastating consequences, particularly for mothers, infants, and low-income families.”
The Ohio Hospital Association has not been notified of any member hospitals closing because of Trump’s spending bill, said Ohio Hospital Association Spokesperson John Palmer.
The Democratic senators used data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina for their letter. According to the letter, 338 hospitals across the country were listed as at-risk.
The hospitals were determined to be at-risk because they meet one or both of two financial criteria — the hospital is in the top 10% Medicaid payer mix of rural hospitals in the country, or the hospital has experienced three consecutive years of negative total margins.
“Rural hospitals are often the largest employers in rural communities, and when a rural hospital closes or scales back its services, communities are not only forced to grapple with losing access to health care, but also with job loss and the resulting financial insecurity,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter.
Twin City Medical Center and Harrison Community Hospital were listed as having three years of negative margins. The other nine Ohio hospitals were listed as top Medicaid providers.
The most recent rural hospital closure in Ohio was last year when the Community Memorial Hospital in Hicksville (Defiance County) closed due to financial issues.
