Impact of GOP Cuts on Healthcare Facilities

Protect Our Care, a Democratic-aligned advocacy group, monitors the adverse effects of GOP budget cuts on healthcare facilities. These reductions, integrated into last summer’s GOP party-line megabill, are threatening operations at over 1,000 institutions, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and providers.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted in July, has led Protect Our Care to identify more than 400 hospitals at risk of closure or service reduction. Over 80 hospital units, including those for maternity and pediatric care, have already shut down. Disagreements exist regarding specific vulnerabilities; rural hospitals with tight budgets and significant Medicaid patient bases face particular risk, although urban safety-net hospitals are also impacted for similar reasons.

The GOP legislation withdrew over $1 trillion from Medicaid, fueling Democratic criticisms ahead of the November midterm elections, as Democrats aim to regain Congressional control. Protect Our Care seeks to raise awareness through a new report and website tracking at-risk facilities, as well as an upcoming event featuring health leaders and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). These efforts emphasize how these cuts, allegedly implemented to fund tax reductions for the wealthy, detrimentally impact healthcare.

As part of their strategy, Protect Our Care will conduct events throughout June to draw attention to the healthcare crisis related to the bill, marking the one-year anniversary of the OBBB on July 4. This approach highlights hospital closures and high healthcare costs confronting Americans.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, managed by Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi, who follow the latest developments impacting your healthcare.

Essential Updates

This week’s key healthcare policy developments include:

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a third over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray version to aid opioid overdose emergencies. Consumers can now obtain the approved Rextovy nasal spray in pharmacies, convenience stores, and online.
• Angela Perryman, exposed to hantavirus on a cruise ship, remains in Nebraska quarantine despite a federal review suggesting her release. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mandated her ongoing isolation.
• Senate Democrats unveiled proposals to reduce prescription drug prices, aiming to address voter concerns and counter White House narratives, assisting Democrats’ congressional regain efforts.

We also provide additional coverage, including Vice President Vance’s central role in U.S.-Iran negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz, and state-level healthcare updates:

• North Carolina criticizes the EPA’s PFAS regulation rollback.
• High numbers of uninsured children remain in Missouri and Kansas despite decreasing poverty rates.
• Indiana legislators confront hospital pricing practices by capping employer-charged rates.

Stay informed with our curated health news insights:

• Federal oversight invests significant control over the $50 billion rural health fund.
• The Congo faces potentially its worst Ebola outbreak, as noted by Africa CDC.
• A gas station drug aligns with Trump cabinet officials.

Thank you for reading. We’ll bring more updates in the next newsletter.