Protect Our Care Highlights Impact of GOP Health Care Cuts

Protect Our Care, a group aligned with Democrats, focuses on the negative effects of GOP cuts on health care facilities. They are monitoring 1,000 hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and providers affected by the cuts related to the GOP’s megabill passed last summer.

This group reports that over 400 hospitals risk closure or service reductions. Over 80 hospital wards, including maternity and pediatric units, have already closed. Rural hospitals, which often have narrow operational margins and many Medicaid-dependent patients, are notably impacted, but urban safety-net hospitals feel similar pressures due to their reliance on Medicaid patients.

The GOP legislation cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid, fueling Democratic campaigns as they aim to take over Congress by focusing on health care issues. On Wednesday, Protect Our Care plans to release a report and website to track at-risk facilities. They will hold a call with Sen. Chris Murphy and health leaders to showcase the severity of the cuts, aiming to deliver a message that Republican decisions sacrificed health care for tax benefits for the wealthy.

Throughout June, Protect Our Care will conduct events targeting Republicans over these health care challenges leading up to the first anniversary of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4th. This is part of a broader Democratic strategy highlighting hospital closures and financial burdens on Americans.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter with Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi, where we track how Washington’s decisions affect your health care.

Essential Reads

Key policy impacts on the health care sector include:

• The FDA approved a third over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray, Rextovy, for emergency opioid overdose treatment, available in retail and online.
• An American passenger exposed to hantavirus on a cruise remains in quarantine in Nebraska, despite federal recommendations for release.
• Senate Democrats presented proposals to reduce prescription drug costs, addressing a major voter concern and countering the White House.

Local News

Recent state and local health care developments:

• An advocate criticized the EPA’s PFAS policy shift as inadequate (North Carolina Health News).
• Missouri and Kansas face many uninsured children despite a decline in poverty (KCUR).
• Indiana limits hospital charges to employers in a bid to control costs (Indiana Capital Chronicle).