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AHCA hurts rural health care

Dear editor,

Rural Montanans depend heavily on their rural hospitals to provide quality care at home so that they aren’t saddled with the multitude of problems that come when you have to travel three hours to see a doctor for minor care.

I’m fearful that if we allow Congress to fully implement the Trump Administration’s American Health Care Act, it will have devastating and long-lasting impacts on our rural health care clinics. According to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, under the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — especially with the expansion of Medicaid, uncompensated care costs as a share of hospital operating budgets fell by more than 50 percent from 2013 to 2015. This has meant our rural hospitals, which have long fought to keep their doors open, have had a steady stream of income which has allowed them to continue caring for patients in the local community.

It makes absolutely no fiscal sense to reverse these changes which have led to healthier communities and a healthier workforce in rural Montana.

Sincerely,

Penney Bergren

Havre, MT 59501

 

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