Uninsured patients and hospital closures are surging. This is what Trump’s healthcare cuts actually cost
THE CASE
A year after Trump and Republicans passed the largest healthcare cuts in American history, the damage is here. A New York Times investigation found that some of the country’s largest hospital systems are reporting sharp increases in uninsured patients as Americans lose coverage they can no longer afford. Across the country, the damage from Trump and Republicans’ healthcare cuts is adding up.
KEY FACTS AND DATA
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Hospitals across the nation are sounding the alarm on lost coverage.
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Hospitals across the nation are reporting increases in uninsured patients as Americans rapidly lose ACA coverage. [New York Times]
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After Trump and Republicans chose to end federal healthcare subsidies, major hospital officials say they have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue as patients forgo care and leave bills unpaid. [New York Times]
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At Community Health Systems, uninsured patient visits rose 20% compared to last year, while at nonprofit SSM Health, uninsured patients increased almost 21% and unpaid medical bills rose nearly 37%. [New York Times]
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Enrollment in ACA marketplace plans has dropped by nearly 13%, or 3 million people, since the start of the year. [New York Times]
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Trump claims this is because of cracking down on fraud, but it’s clear much of this reduction is driven by Republicans refusing to extend critical ACA subsidies that helped patients afford their premiums. [New York Times]
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Hospital finance experts say that most closures won’t be announced outright, but rather they will quietly cut services like maternal care and behavioral health instead. [New York Times]
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Banner Health’s CEO said her nonprofit system is considering closing facilities in every market it operates in, forcing patients to travel farther for care. [New York Times]
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Communities are already losing access to care because of the cuts.
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In Tucson, Select Specialty Hospital - Tucson East will permanently close by September, laying off 99 employees, as several Arizona healthcare facilities have or will shut down since Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding. [Tucson Sentinel]
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Tucson East sits in Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s district. Ciscomani warned Medicaid cuts would cause hospital instability, but voted for the bill anyway. [Tucson Sentinel]
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The OBBBA will result in the loss of nearly $110 million each year for 10 hospitals in or near Ciscomani’s district in the next decade. [Tucson Sentinel]
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In Iowa, MercyOne closed its South Des Moines clinics in June, citing Medicaid cuts and rising costs. This is part of a broader wave of closures and care reduction across the state that includes an Ottumwa family medicine clinic, the end of labor and delivery services at two other Iowa hospitals, and a Planned Parenthood clinic shutting down in Iowa City. [Iowa Coalition for Reproductive Freedom; Little Village]
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Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for Iowa Senate, said she is “proud” of her vote on OBBBA, as nearly one-fifth of Iowans with ACA plans dropped their coverage and healthcare facilities continue to close around the state. [Insurance Newsnet]
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Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, whose district includes Iowa City, said in April that, “nothing has gone into effect” on Medicaid cuts and hospital losses weren’t connected. Months later, Planned Parenthood was forced to close the clinic in her district. [The Gazette]
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Shortly after he voted to pass the OBBBA, Rep. Zach Nunn said, “I think the myth here is that rural hospitals are going to close down. That’s not the case.” Since then, MercyOne shut down a facility in his district, forcing his constituents to drive up to an hour to receive medical care. [American Journal]
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Americans are worried about healthcare costs, and it’s shaping how they’ll vote.
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64% of Americans are worried about affording healthcare costs—now tied with concerns about affording gas and transportation costs. [KFF]
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61% of Americans say they worry “a great deal” about healthcare affordability, more than the economy or inflation. [Gallup]
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80% of Americans who re-enrolled in ACA marketplaces this year say their healthcare costs are higher this year, including 51% who say they are “a lot” higher. [KFF]
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Nearly 90% of voters say health costs will influence their decision to vote and who to vote for in the upcoming midterm elections. [KFF]
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CALL TO ACTION
Share this video of Rep. Zach Nunn lashing out when asked if he still believes rural hospital closures are a “myth.”
(Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/Getty Images)