ICYMI: Rural Minnesota has a higher percentage of Medicaid enrollees than the metro, and hospitals in greater Minnesota expect to face a more challenges from cuts. Rachelle Schultz, president and CEO of Winona Health, told MPR how they are preparing for cuts in Winona.
For a rural hospital… we’re often the safety net for the community. So the services that we provide are the needed services. And I think, as many of us have been struggling with the financial realities of post-COVID world and making ends meet and continued reduced reimbursement, really, across the board and rising other costs, it’s a hard calculation to make work.
And I would say, what becomes really difficult is that we can cut a program. But that doesn’t mean that the need goes away. And oh, by the way, that program goes away for everybody else that might have other insurance that could be covered with that program.