North Carolina Hospitals Face Funding Cuts Amid Legislative Changes Threatening Medicaid and Rural Healthcare

Recent weeks have seen North Carolina hospitals, such as WakeMed in Raleigh, grappling with a surge in heat-related emergencies, including cases involving children. This uptick underscores the strain on healthcare facilities facing record-breaking temperatures and increasing demands amid resource limitations. Compounding these challenges, recent legislative developments threaten to further impact hospital funding and Medicaid expansion. The newly passed federal budget includes provisions that could result in a projected $32 billion loss in hospital and Medicaid funding for North Carolina over the next decade, potentially leading to the rollback of Medicaid expansion and the closure of rural hospitals. Senator Thom Tillis vocally opposed these measures, warning of their adverse effects on healthcare coverage for vulnerable populations, including children, low-income workers, and seniors. He emphasized that programs vital for hospital maintenance and service expansion, such as the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP), could be eliminated, jeopardizing essential services like cancer care and obstetrics in underserved areas. While the House proposed a more balanced approa...