ARKANSAS, USA — Upcoming cuts to Medicaid could shut down more than 50% of rural Arkansas hospitals, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.
Monika Fischer-Massie, the executive director of WelcomeHealth in Fayetteville, said that many hospitals are already on the brink of closure because of financial problems. She said if access to Medicaid is limited, this problem will spread.
“One immediate consequence will be felt in our emergency rooms … The emergency rooms are going to fill up because people have no place to go,” Fischer-Massie said.
She says this cost doesn’t just go away; somebody has to bear it.