Rural hospital closings draw McCaskill’s attention

Senator: This is a matter of life and death

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, called for answers on why so many rural hospitals are closing across the country and what the federal government can do to support rural hospitals to prevent more closures. Over two million Missouri residents rely on rural hospitals, and 41 percent of the state’s hospitals are in rural areas.

“Hospital access is a matter of life and death no matter where you live—and this is especially true for rural Missourians who may only have one close-by option,” McCaskill said. “We need details on why more and more rural hospitals are closing across the country so that we can take action to ensure they can keep their doors open.”

In her letter to Gene Dodaro, the Comptroller General of the United States, McCaskill requested that the Government Accountability Office investigate the challenges rural hospitals face, trends in rural hospital closures and recommendations for the federal government about addressing these issues. “Rural hospitals provide invaluable health care services to families throughout my state of Missouri and across this country. Unfortunately, according to numerous reports, in recent years, the number of rural hospital closures has increased significantly and if this trend continues, such closures could have a devastating impact on my constituents and countless other Americans,” McCaskill wrote.

McCaskill has continually worked to protect rural hospitals and the communities they serve in Missouri. Last year, McCaskill cosponsored the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act to loosen caps on the number of Medicare-backed graduate medical training slots and increase the number of Medicare-backed medical residents. Additionally, McCaskill introduced the bipartisan Hospital Payment Fairness Act that would repeal a provision of the Affordable Care Act that is causing states, including Missouri, to subsidize high wages at hospitals through Medicare reimbursement rates. McCaskill supports the Rural Hospital Access Act, which would extend Medicare payment programs that are critical to the health of rural hospitals throughout the country. Specifically, the extension of the Medicare-Dependent Hospital program and the Low-Volume Hospital Program provided for in the bill would save Missouri hospitals millions of dollars annually, and allow rural hospitals to provide vital services to Medicare beneficiaries within their own communities.

Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/healthcare to learn more about McCaskill’s fight to improve healthcare for Missourians.