New federal Medicaid cuts could threaten to close the hospital in Sharon.
SHARON, Conn. — After avoiding a shutdown earlier this year, Sharon Hospital is once again facing uncertainty.
This time, it comes in the wake of new federal legislation.
The recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill,” backed by the administration of President Donald Trump, has prompted concern among healthcare experts.
A new study from the University of North Carolina shows that nearly 300 rural hospitals across the country are now at risk due to cuts in Medicaid funding. In Connecticut, only one hospital appears on that list: Sharon Hospital.
While one small hospital in Sharon, Conn. may not matter much to the federal government, it means everything to local resident David Singer.
“My daughter, my wife, myself,” Singer said, listing the members of his family who have depended on the hospital for nearly two decades.
“It’s about a 15-minute drive from our home,” he said.
Just last week, Singer's wife was rushed to the emergency room after a serious accident.
“Had she had to travel an hour or more to a hospital bleeding profusely that would have been a big problem,” Singer noted.
Located in rural northeastern Connecticut, Sharon Hospital is a lifeline for the surrounding region. Without it, the closest in-state hospital is a 40-minute drive.
The next nearest facilities across the border in New York are nearly 50 minutes away; a huge difference in emergency situations when every minute counts.
“Rural hospitals have a very high population of Medicaid recipients, and they are functioning on very low operating margins to begin with,” said Angela Mattie, a professor of Medical Services and Management at Quinnipiac University, who discussed the UNC study's findings.
The UNC study took into account Medicaid usage and hospital profitability, which doesn't look great for the hospital.
In a statement to FOX 61, the hospital’s leadership said in part, “It’s no secret that Sharon Hospital has been struggling financially for some time largely due to underpayment from the government and other payers these new cuts only exacerbate the situation.”
The expected Medicaid cuts are set to take effect in December, leaving patients and providers with little time to prepare.
“It would be devastating to the community,” said Singer.
Mattie added that the cuts could prove fatal for thousands of Americans.
“With these Medicaid cuts, there will be 71,000 unnecessary deaths per year. You know, I ask you do we want to live in a country like this?” said Mattie.
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