Focus of the facts: the medical cuts of the GOP tax bill threaten rural hospitals

Rural hospitals are preparing to lose billions of dollars with President Donald Trump Signature tax and expense reduction invoice Signed by the law this summer.

Dozens, already at the edge, warned that they were faced with the prospect of closing or services reduced due to the Cups of the Midicaid bill, which is funded by federal governments and states and offers health care to the poorest Americans.

During a meeting of the cabinet Tuesday celebrating American workers, the Secretary of Health and Social Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said that a history ” silver infusion Is on the way to rural hospitals across the country.

“Right now, we are spending 7% of Medicaid dollars for rural hospitals,” he said. “They get the short end of the stick.” To remedy this, he said that a new fund – established in the legislation – will give rural hospitals for an additional dollars each year.

Here is an overview of the facts.

The complaint: “Within the framework of the rural transformation program, we give them an additional $ 10 billion per year. We increase a treasury, rural hospitals and rural communities, by 50%. It will be the greatest infusion in history and it will restore and revitalize these communities.”

The facts: there is more to that 900 pages Bill that Kennedy let the White House go by.

It is true that the Republicans have created a new fund which will put aside $ 10 billion each year for rural hospitals, suppliers and clinics. But they did this to compensate for significant cuts that rural hospitals should endure following the legislation, which also reduces $ 1.2 billion of federal budget during the next decade, mainly Medicaid.

About 10 million people are expected to lose health insurance for legislation. Most people will lose Medicaid.

This will leave many hospitals with patients who cannot afford to pay for emergency services. Changes should strike rural areas, where up to 1 out of 4 Americans rely on Medicaid to pay health insurance, especially difficult.

Estimates have suggested that rural hospitals, in particular, could lose between $ 58 billion And $ 137 billion During the next decade due to the provisions of the bill. Up to 300 rural hospitals were at risk of closing due to the GOP bill, according to a analysis By Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

THE Rural health processing program Established in the law is supposed to prevent these closures. It puts aside $ 10 billion a year from 2026 to 2030.

Hospitals and health industry experts warned that even if the fund throws a lifeline at rural hospitals, that will not save them all.

“This would certainly not compensate this entirely,” said Timothy McBride, analyst of health policies at Washington University, about the Fund.

Then there is the question of how hospitals will really access the funds. Half of the $ 50 billion will also be divided between all states. The other half will be divided on the basis of a formula, developed by the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which examines the rural population of a state and the number of low -income people it serves.

However, the division of some of the funds also between states will ultimately give certain states, even those that have little rural hospitals, the same amount of money as states that have a significant number of rural hospitals.

“They all have needs, but at least half of the funds will also be distributed, which does not make sense,” said McBride. “Some states don’t have much, and others have a lot.”

A Kennedy spokesperson did not respond to a request for comments.

___

Find the verifications of the AP facts here: https://apnews.com/apfactcheck.