ICYMI: Gov. Kelly Pushes for Medicaid Expansion While Report Shows More than Three Dozen Missouri, Kansas Hospitals at Risk of Closing

“Already, too many rural hospitals have shut their doors. When that happens, the communities have been devastated. These Kansans have to drive hours now to receive their basic care. There is an obvious way to stop the bleeding: Expand Medicaid.”
– Governor Kelly

KEY QUOTE: “The report warns that costs would likely increase much more than $4 billion if hospitals close, because reduced access to preventive care and timely treatment would cause residents of the communities without hospitals to be sicker and need more services in the future.”

Report: More than 3 dozen Missouri, Kansas hospitals at risk of closing
Heidi Schmidt, KCTV 5
August 1, 2023

• The Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform determined that more than 600, or 30%, of hospitals in rural communities face the grim possibility because of serious financial issues.
   
• The report lists 29 rural hospitals in Kansas and 8 rural hospitals in Missouri at “immediate risk” of closing.
• The ranking shows nine Kansas rural hospitals have closed since 2005, and a total of 60 rural hospitals are at risk of closing in the coming years. Even more concerning is that 83% of the hospitals in the state are operating with a loss on services.
• As many as 29 rural hospitals across the state, or 28%, of hospitals fall into the ‘Immediate Risk’ of closing category.

###