Trump cuts put US rural hospitals under pressure
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L’essentiel
The 25-bed hospital in Fredonia, Kansas, is struggling to stay open, while residents must travel more than 140 kilometres to see a cardiologist. Inflation and budget cuts under Donald Trump are worsening the difficulties faced by rural facilities, reports Agence France-Presse ahead of the US midterm elections.
Rural hospitals in Kansas are being weakened by inflation and cuts made since US President Donald Trump returned to power, reports Agence France-Presse. In Fredonia, residents must travel more than 140 kilometres to see a cardiologist in the event of a heart attack or stroke. The closure of the local 25-bed hospital would also threaten first aid and ambulance or helicopter evacuations.
An independent institute estimated this summer that 21 rural hospitals in Kansas faced an immediate risk of closure. Seven facilities have already closed in the state since 2015, including one in the Fredonia area. Local hospital director Johnathan Durrett cites rising costs for medical equipment, intravenous fluids and feeding patients, as well as population decline and inadequate insurance reimbursements.
Tom Mueller, of the University of Kansas Centre for Rural Health, blames Republican cuts to Medicaid, health insurance for the poorest households, as well as cuts to insurance subsidies. With the US midterm elections approaching, access to healthcare and its cost are concerns for voters, according to AFP.
