Millions of Americans living in rural and urban communities depend upon their hospital as an important—and often the only—source of care. However, these communities and their hospitals are often left vulnerable to many challenges, the most significant to date being the COVID-19 crisis. With many hospitals fighting to survive, entire communities are at risk of losing access to health care services. Already, at least 118 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, and a number of safety net hospitals have also shuttered or merged with for-profit health systems.

To make matters worse, under H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, Congress is proposing  reductions to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Program and uncompensated care pools, which support hospitals serving uninsured and Medicaid individuals. This will inevitably strain rural and safety net hospitals even further, potentially to a devastating point. 

Federal money from the DHS program reimburses hospitals for the care they provide to people who can’t afford to pay. In addition, it  offsets the cost of care provided to Medicaid patients which is not covered under Medicaid. This support allows hospitals to provide critical community services, such as trauma and burn care, high-risk neonatal care, disaster preparedness resources, and, of course, lifesaving COVID-19 treatments and vaccine distribution. 

According to the American Hospital Association, “The Medicaid DSH reductions in the BBB would be an additional hardship for hospitals located in non-expansion states, and these cuts are directed to continue beyond the length of the coverage provisions, which currently sunset in 2025. The cuts could be as much as $7.8 billion in federal funding over 10 years, and this reduction in funding will make it difficult for hospitals in those states to continue to serve their patients and their communities.”   

Please help to prevent cuts to the Medicaid DSH Program by signing this petition and taking this brief survey. If we don’t act now, access to care for the most vulnerable populations across the U.S. may be in serious jeopardy.