End of Life-Saving Care for West Virginians; Medicaid Cuts to Close Hospitals, Other Services

- 'West Virginians already struggle to find the health care they need. It’s about to get much, much worse.' Mountain State Spotlight, by Erin Beck, July 2, 2025. Ed.
Congress’ plan for Medicaid would close hospitals and end some other services. This means the end of life-saving care for West Virginians.
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Emergency rooms in West Virginia are overwhelmed with patients. Cots sit in hallways. Patients in waiting rooms scream in pain. Many people who use drugs don’t have local treatment centers. Local doctors’ offices are in short supply. Republicans in Congress are closing in on the final passage of a funding bill that would drastically cut Medicaid, which provides care for older, poor and disabled people, including more than 500,000 West Virginians. The cuts are part of far-reaching legislation to enact much of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.

Following the U.S. Senate’s passage of the bill Tuesday, the GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives was moving toward a vote on Wednesday to meet Trump’s demand for approval before July 4. “We will see hospital closures,” said Rich Sutphin, executive director of the West Virginia Rural Health Association.

The 7 most at risk of closure are Logan Regional Medical Center, Welch Community Hospital, Broaddus Hospital Association, Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center, Grafton City Hospital, Jackson General Hospital and Montgomery General Hospital, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina.

And for hospitals that don’t close, services and treatments that rely on Medicaid the most are likely to be cut.

At the ERs, for example, people would have to wait longer to be seen with fewer doctors and nurses, and others would lose their regular doctor. Montgomery General Hospital CEO Deborah Hill said it’s already stretched thin and would be likely to close. More than a quarter of its patients rely on Medicaid. Small hospitals like Montgomery General are often one of the few places for people to see a doctor nearby. People from neighboring Clay and Nicholas counties often travel there. “Imagine you’re having a heart attack, and you’re in one of those areas, “ Hill said. “You’re already 40 minutes from us, and it’s another 30 minutes to Charleston.” - Mothers and infants among the victims...

- More story & graphics at the Link:
https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/07/02/medicaid-cuts-to-close-hospitals/

UPDATE July 3, 2025 at 3 p.m.: Republicans in the House passed the sweeping legislation to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda, sending it to his desk to be signed into law