Rural Americans Not Helped by New Health Care Bill

   In just under a year, the United States will be holding their 57^th quadrennial presidential election. Campaigning has already begun and promises are already being made. Just four years ago, our now incumbent president BarackObama made a campaign promise to instill a universal health care bill by the end of his first term:

"I have made a solemn pledge that I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year."

 -- Hartford, Conn.

JUNE 23, 2007

Although both the Senate and the House passed Obama’s health care bill in 2009 and 2010, respectively, there has still been much debate surrounding the issue. As it stands, all citizens and legal residents of the United States will be required to purchase health-insurance coverage by 2014 or else face a tax penalty. Despite promising many potential benefits for our current health care system, the implementation of this particular bill does not bode well for rural America.

   One major change that U.S. citizens can expect to see is the expansion of Medicaid. According to Medicaid and Its Importance to RuralHealth, Medicaid is more highly relied upon in rural settings. After all, rural populations face higher rates of poverty and are also less likely to carry health insurance (raconline.org). Under Obama’s new, universal health care bill, Medicaid is expected to increase its total enrollees by 35-40 million in the next decade (news.heartland.org). Even though this opens up healthcare to more people, it is ultimately a detriment to the health care system. It is impossible to offer the same quality care when the supplies are not there. Furthermore, the bill also proposes budget cuts be made to the overall Medicaid system. So, not only has this new bill proposed adding 40 million enrollees, but it also proposes a decrease in total amount of accessible funds.

   As mentioned earlier, the implementation of this particular health care bill does not figure well for rural hospitals whose bulk income is primarily based off of the funds received from Medicaid. As Freudenheim discussed in his article, Hospital Groups Assess Health Care Law, Medicaid payments currently do not cover all costs, especially in a rural setting. This, paired with an increase in patients and budget cuts, is projected to nearly triple the annual shortfall payments in most hospitals. Most rural hospitals will not be able to survive this – it would simply be “unsustainable.”

   In one year, we will elect our 57^th President of the United States. No matter the outcome of the election, it is important that the chosen candidate look more closely at this health care bill and see that its actions will negatively impact a great majority of our country’s population. Rural areas already have a shortage of doctors and other health care professionals. The last thing that they need is an even greater shortage of hospitals.