ACA Repeal Bill Expected to Hit Rural Safety-Net Hospitals Especially Hard

The steep reduction in federal Medicaid funding called for in ACA repeal-and-replace proposals would place many of the nation’s safety-net hospitals, particularly those in rural areas, at serious financial risk, according to a new Commonwealth Fund analysis. Researchers Allen Dobson, Joan DaVanzo, and Randy Haught estimate that if the House-passed American Health Care Act went into effect, net income for safety-net hospitals—which serve some of the nation’s most vulnerable patients—would fall 83 percent by 2026.