Rural hospitals could be devastated by Big Beautiful Bill changes to Medicaid

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- As the conflict implicit President Trump's projected Big Beautiful Bill continues, agrarian hospitals find themselves connected the frontlines of imaginable cuts to Medicare & Medicaid. Among the astir vulnerable, experts are informing these cuts could origin respective to adjacent their doors.

Now, Senate Republicans are scrambling to draught a hole to the measure that includes alleviation earlier President Trump's self-imposed July 4th deadline.

Hospitals conscionable similar Madera Community Hospital, for example, could beryllium the hardest hit.

"People getting successful car accidents, they tin person bosom attacks, and if you person to thrust each the mode to Fresno that could mean beingness oregon death," says Diana Capps, Valley Resident.

The measure passed by the location looks to chopped astir $600 cardinal successful Medicaid. The National agrarian wellness relation warned this week these cuts could origin agrarian hospitals crossed the state to adjacent their doors.

As a set aid, immoderate Republican Senators person projected to determination $15 cardinal dollars into a caller agrarian infirmary fund, but others accidental that's not enough. Now are asking for up to $100 billion.

"I hold with immoderate of the Republicans that are skeptical whether $15 cardinal is capable to prevention agrarian hospitals crossed the country," says Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria.

Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria says adjacent though the infirmary is backmost unfastened it's not financially successful the clear.

She says if passed the measure would beryllium a 'travesty,' she's present calling retired vale representatives successful Washington who voted successful favour of the bill.

"I'm precise disappointed that Congressman Valadao really voted for this Big Beautiful Bill due to the fact that I tin warrant you that immoderate of his hospitals volition close," says Soria.

Medicaid, a cardinal insurer for communities similar Madera wherever astir 80% of patients trust connected the aid.

"Even present we're not receiving capable wealth for agrarian hospitals, Madera Community Hospital, and galore others similar america are not receiving the wealth that we request to supply oregon wage for care," says Supervisor Robert Poythress, Madera County.

Proponents of the measure accidental the cuts are aimed astatine reducing 'waste, fraud, and abuse'.

But immoderate California leaders similar Madera County Supervisor Robert Poythress warns vale hospitals volition person to wage the price.

"If you locomotion done that exigency country door, careless of what your concern is, the infirmary by instrumentality has to service you truthful if you don't person Medi-Cal, the infirmary eats those outgo which cuts adjacent much into that margin," says Poythress.

The National Rural Health Association estimates that nether the Big Beautiful Bull hospitals volition suffer 21 cents retired of each dollar they person successful Medicaid funding. Something galore already struggling volition not beryllium capable to retrieve from.

"Every tiny municipality should person their ain hospital. I deliberation it would beryllium a large shame to suffer a infirmary for the assemblage of Madera," says Capps.

President Trump said Thursday helium is inactive hopeful helium volition beryllium capable to motion the measure by the July 4th holiday.

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