Residents in rural areas already drive long distances to deliver their babies. Now, a new analysis has found that they could have to drive a lot further because of cuts to Medicaid insurance.
The Mountain West could see some of the longest drive times in the country. For example, in Nevada, if a rural delivery unit shuts down, the next closest unit may be over two hours away. The next closest hospital is about an hour away in most other states in the region.
“I can't imagine being in a car trying to get to a hospital an hour away while in active labor,” said Brittni Frederiksen, associate director of women’s health policy of nonprofit research, polling and news group KFF and co-author of the new study.
Frederiksen added that there are real risks of increasing these drive times.
“It just increases the likelihood of negative outcomes for both the mom and the baby,” she said.
Since 2005, about 200 rural hospitals have closed, according to the University of North Carolina, and many more have closed labor and delivery units, specifically. In Wyoming, at least nine counties now lack hospitals to give birth in.
Now, more delivery units could close with changes to Medicaid under the One Big Beautiful Bill. Frederiksen said changes, such as work requirements, could mean people losing their insurance.
“If people don't have Medicaid coverage, then that revenue from those births is not going to those hospitals,” she said. “ It just makes it very challenging to stay open, especially in rural areas where you only have a few deliveries per month, per year.”
Frederiksen said the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program could help, but it won’t fill all the gaps.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
