June 04, 2025

Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Seek Information on Republican Budget Bill’s Potential to Close Rural Hospitals

Washington D.C.— U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., said today they have joined Senator Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in requesting important information about the impact of House Republicans’ budget bill’s dangerous proposed cuts to federal spending on health programs, rural hospitals and their surrounding communities.

“In short, the House-passed budget reconciliation bill is expected to have substantial and devastating impacts to health care access for working families across America, particularly in rural communities. ” the lawmakers wrote to Mark Holmes, PhD, Director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We are deeply concerned that these cuts will increase uncompensated care and make it more difficult for rural hospitals to continue providing services to all patients, paying workers, and keeping their doors open.”

“The magnitude of federal cuts to health programs will inevitably devastate health access for millions of Americans who will see their local hospitals forced to reduce services or close altogether,” they wrote. ”To help us better understand the devastation of these cuts, we are interested in the Sheps Center’s expert analysis of how this bill will impact rural hospitals and the communities they serve.” 

The lawmakers request responses to the following questions by June 11, 2025:  

  •  Which U.S. rural hospitals treat the highest share of Medicaid recipients? Please identify these hospitals by name, state, and congressional district. 
  •  How many rural hospitals are currently in financial distress or at risk of closure? Please identify these hospitals by state and congressional district and whether these hospitals are eligible for any Medicare rural hospital designation. 
  •  If the health care cuts in the House-passed budget reconciliation bill were to become law, would the rural hospitals with the highest share of Medicaid recipients or that are currently in financial distress face risk of closure or having to reduce services (including obstetric and behavioral health care, emergency room services, etc.)?

The full text of the letter is here.