Rural hospitals said to be at risk

“In May, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a reconciliation package that, if enacted, will impose the largest cuts to health care in United States history, slashing funding for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 trillion and triggering more than $500 billion in Medicare cuts,” the letter read.

The senators provided a list of at-risk hospitals, according to recent healths services research from the University of North Carolin:: Those which have been unprofitable for three years, and which serve a high share of Medicaid patients. Four Oregon hospitals are among the 338 on this list: Madras, Hermiston, Seaside, and Silverton.

These cuts could cause more than 16 million people to lose health insurance — many of them in red states, the letter said.

Such rural hospitals, those taking lots of medicaid payments, would be forced to drop services, turn into standalone emergency centers or clinics, or even close, according to the University of North Carolina.

Lost services could include mental health, obstetric care, and emergency care.

“Billionaire tax breaks are not worth the cost to American lives and livelihoods,” the senators wrote.

Voting on the House’s reconciliation bill is expected to happen as early as this week.