ACLU says 7 West Virginia hospitals would close if ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ passes

Video: House continues debate on big, beautiful bill

WEST VIRGINIA (WBOY) — Following Tuesday’s passage of the Budget Reconciliation Bill, aka the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” in the U.S. Senate, the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) is warning that multiple West Virginia hospitals could close if the bill passes the House as well.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the ACLU-WV warned that cuts to Medicaid funding outlined in the bill would “kick tens of thousands of West Virginians off their health care plans and lead to the closure of at least seven hospitals in the state.”

Those hospitals include:

• Broaddus Hospital (Philippi)
• Grafton City Hospital
• Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center (Grantsville)
• Jackson General Hospital (Ripley)
• Logan Regional Medical Center
• Welch Community Hospital
• Montgomery General Hospital

In its post, the ACLU-WV cited information provided by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina. This data can be found in a letter to the Trump Administration submitted on June 12 by Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), which outlines how the seven above-listed hospitals would face significant financial stress if the bill is passed.

According to the data, all but one of the above-listed hospitals are in the top 10% in the country when it comes to Medicaid patient traffic. The only exception to this trend is Grafton City Hospital, which has experienced at least three consecutive years of negative total margin, according to the data.

If the bill is passed with the significant cuts to Medicaid, Sheps Center data says that 338 hospitals across the nation will be forced into financial hardship, which could cause them to close altogether. According to the National Rural Health Association, rural hospitals are estimated to lose 21 cents for every dollar they receive in Medicaid funding if the bill passes.

The bill was delivered to the House of Representatives on Wednesday, with GOP members aiming to pass it before President Donald Trump’s deadline of July 4.