ICYMI: Rural health care in Minnesota is at risk. Barb Stinnett wrote in MinnPost that changes to Medicaid may force already struggling rural hospitals past their breaking point. From the op ed:
As states respond to new federal financing rules, rural hospitals are being forced to scale back essential services — from mental health to obstetrics — or prepare for shutdown entirely.
In parts of the Iron Range, residents already face drives of up to two hours to reach the nearest facility; if additional closures occur, some communities will essentially be left without a hospital at all. Without a coordinated, statewide strategy, large parts of Greater Minnesota could lose access to life-saving inpatient and specialty care.
