Fifteen rural hospitals in Texas are defined as “at-risk” of closing, according to a reputable center for health services research.
The list of the rural hospitals from each state was released after U.S. senators requested the information from the center and then attached it in a letter to President Donald Trump, among others.
Here are the hospitals named in Texas and why they are in the limelight.
How is “at-risk” defined?
A rural hospital is labeled as at risk when it meets one or both of two criteria, according to the documents: the hospital is in the top 10% Medicaid payer mix of rural hospitals across the country, and that the hospital has experienced three consecutive years of negative total margin.
What hospitals are at-risk in Texas?
Here are the 15 hospitals deemed at-risk in Texas:
What center for health services research released the info?
The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research is part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The center, according to their site, seeks to improve the health of individuals, families, and populations by understanding the problems, issues, and alternatives in the design and delivery of health care services.
What was the purpose of the letter?
U.S. Sens Edward J. Markey, Ron Wyden, Jeffrey A. Merkley, and Charles E. Schumer wrote to President Trump, Majority Leader John Thune, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in response to the reconciliation package that Trump signed on the Fourth of July. They sent the letter on June 12.
The senators argued that the health care cuts could impact vulnerable, rural hospitals.
“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,” authors wrote, adding that the hospitals will face “deeper financial strain that could lead to negative health outcomes for the communities they serve.”
What will the legislation do?
The bill, now signed into law, is projected to cut $1 trillion mostly from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act insurance plans and eliminate insurance coverage for 11.8 million people over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, as reported by USA Today.
In Texas, almost 14% of the population is on Medicaid, including 3 in 5 are children, 1 in 8 who live in a rural area, 1 in 9 who have three or more chronic illnesses according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: 15 Texas rural hospitals are at-risk of closing. See the list.
Reporting by Tom Ackerman, Springfield State Journal- Register / State Journal-Register
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