WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s “beautiful” tax and spending cuts legislation could strangle rural hospitals, which provide critical care for Americans in many red states. So now Republicans are scrambling to draft a fix before a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
The bill would cut hundreds of billions of dollars for Medicaid, including by limiting the use of so-called provider taxes, which help state governments cover the cost of health care alongside federal assistance. A group of Senate Republicans has complained that the provider tax change would unfairly burden rural hospitals in their states.
To win their votes, Senate GOP leaders have proposed including a $15 billion fund for rural hospitals. Some Republican senators want a much larger sum — up to $100 billion. That group includes senators up for reelection next year like Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who are already facing Democratic attack ads about cutting health care for the poor. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has complained Medicaid cuts would betray Trump’s voters and also wants more support for rural hospitals, but he declined to name a specific number.
Hawley said Wednesday his support for the bill would come down to the amount of money in the hospital fund.
