Republican led states reject Federal healthcare funding. Rural hospitals are closed denying poor, rural and communities or color the medical care they so desperately need.
Where are hospitals being closed? Who suffers the most? What's behind the politics of denying healthcare? What can you do to demand affordable healthcare?
Rural healthcare slashed
181 rural hospitals closed! 60% of them are in the South. They are in poor rural communities where fewer people have health insurance. Patients are forced to travel further for medical treatment. Rural mortality rates are three time higher than urban areas.
A dozen Republican led states (TX, FL, WI, NC, WY, SC, SD, AL, TN, GA, KS, MS) have refused to expand health coverage. Compare the number of hospital closed in these states that reject federal funding. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides health insurance to more people through Medicaid and the Health Insurance Marketplaces. The ACA expands Medicaid coverage for most low-income adults near the federal poverty level.
"Republican legislators in Missouri have blocked a bill that would fund a voter-approved expansion of Medicaid that would cover an estimated 230,000 individuals. The federal funds could also help the state's rural hospitals and healthcare industry." - Newsweek
Senator Warnock's bill expands affordable healthcare
“Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) proposes to cover all of those eligible for Medicaid expansion in the non-expansion states. It would create a federal program that would have all the robust benefits of Medicaid and prescription drug benefits to all states. Read the bill to establish a program so eligible individuals can enroll in health coverage without any premiums. It includes all the Medicaid benefits that the ACA created for those newly eligible in expansion states.
Rural healthcare information resources
Cecil G. Sheps Center - impact of rural hospital closures
Kaufman Family Foundation - states rejecting federal funding for healthcare
Vote.org - resources for voters
TakeAway: Use the facts to show people the importance of voting and protecting their freedom to vote for leaders who will protect their healthcare and interests. StoryMaps make an issue easier to understand, locally relevant and actionable. Apply for pro bono help with StoryMaps related to social justice and voting rights here.
Deepak
DemLabs
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