...Based on an analysis of which hospitals received an average of more than 20% of revenue between 2022 and 2024 from Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and other public assistance programs and which ones averaged negative net profit margins over those years, Public Citizen said 446 hospitals “are at heightened risk of closing or reducing services due to Medicaid cuts.

Three of those hospitals are in Iowa: CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs in Pottawattamie County, MercyOne Oelwein Medical Center in Fayette County, and Ottumwa Regional Health Center in Wapello County.

An Ottumwa Regional Health Center spokesperson told the Iowa Independent in an email: “Ottumwa Regional Health Center (ORHC) remains stable, fully operational and committed to delivering safe, high-quality care. While proposed Medicaid funding reductions could create additional challenges for rural hospitals across the country, ORHC benefits from the strength and resources of a larger healthcare organization, enabling continued investment in services, technology, and patient care. Our focus remains on advancing our mission of making communities healthier and ensuring access to high-quality care now and into the future.” The other two hospitals did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

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While Omaha, Nebraska, is just across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs, Hurst said, not all Iowa health insurance plans will pay for out-of-state care: “I’ve had patients who have been trying to work on weight and have tried all the diets and things they can, and we’ve reached the point of trying bariatric surgery, and that they were not going to be covered. These were Medicaid patients, Iowa Medicaid, not going to be covered to see providers in Omaha. They would have to go to Des Moines, and that’s what they did. I’ve had orthopedic patients have that same problem.” He noted that it takes between 90 minutes and two hours to drive to Des Moines from Council Bluffs and that many patients lack reliable transportation.

“We’re already seeing the devastating consequences— just this week two more clinics announced they are closing their doors, hospitals are on the brink of shutdown, and Iowans are being forced to drive farther for basic care while health care workers lose their jobs,” said Amy Adams, director of Protect Our Care Iowa, referencing clinics in Woodbury County.

Hurst said that while Council Bluffs is “a very blue-collar community” with a significant population covered by Medicaid, any reduction in health services would also harm individuals covered by private insurance plans. “If Medicaid drops and closes the only hospital in your community,” Hurst said, “well, all those people who have insurance have also lost access.”


...more...https://iowaindependentnews.com/health-care/report-3-iowa-hospitals-at-risk-of-closing-after-medicaid-cuts/