To the editor:
This week, Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio was deeply disappointed to learn the U.S. House of Representatives decided to advance a proposal that could profoundly impact the well-being of thousands of children in Athens County and the surrounding region.
Early Thursday morning, House lawmakers approved their budget reconciliation bill. It seeks to cut funding for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $1 trillion over the next decade.
Our Ohio Kids Count data profiles show that 65 percent of Athens County’s 9,000 children are enrolled in Medicaid. That’s nearly 6,000 kids whose access to health care could be at risk if Medicaid is cut. Additionally, about 39,000 households in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, which includes Athens County, rely on SNAP benefits.
These programs are critical to children’s health and nutrition in Appalachia, where some families face unique and historical challenges, like economic hardship, limited hospital access, and health facilities exposed to financial instability over Medicaid funding.
On Medicaid, specifically, the National Rural Health Association says funding from the service sustains many rural healthcare systems, including small hospitals and clinics, where higher uninsured rates force facilities to shoulder more uncompensated care. There are currently eight hospitals at risk for closure in Ohio, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR). Another four are vulnerable to immediate closure. We commend these health systems that have worked hard to provide essential services for Appalachian families, but they need support to continue their efforts and provide more services across the region.
While CHQPR says OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital appears to be financially stable, it warns other facilities where Athens County locals could seek care have experienced recent revenue losses. They include Marietta Memorial Hospital in Washington County, next door, and Fairfield Medical Center, in Lancaster.
In 2014, OhioHealth closed its inpatient facility in Nelsonville due to the financial instability created by a lack of inpatients. At the time, Nelsonville city manager Mark Hall shared a concern similar to ours about rural medical facility closures: families must travel farther to get the care they need.
“I hate to see us lose the 24-hour emergency room,” Hall said. “If someone is injured here locally … it’s certainly more convenient to go a mile or two than go 14 or 15 miles to Logan or Athens.”
All young families deserve close access to quality health care as a 15-mile trip for a child during some medical emergencies can mean the difference between life and death. Additionally, we cannot forget about all the young families that may choose to forgo medical care due to a lack of insurance or high medical costs. This, too, can impact the ability of children to live healthy lives.
Georgetown’s research also echoes what we know, maternal labor and delivery rank as the top reasons people stay overnight in hospitals nationwide. In Ohio’s rural areas, Medicaid covers nearly half of all births. Meanwhile, last week, the university released another report that showed one-quarter of women in Ohio’s rural areas, ages 19 to 44, also use Medicaid. When obstetrical services are unavailable, the health of mothers and babies in small towns is put at risk, regardless of their coverage.
We need the elected officials tasked with defending the interests of youth to recognize their responsibility in protecting the health of their constituents and keeping food on their tables. The decision made by Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, on Thursday, to vote to advance the budget reconciliation bill for further consideration by the Senate is dangerous for his youngest constituents.
As a member of a House subcommittee on health, Balderson should know what’s at stake for the youth he represents if they lose Medicaid. It’s a scenario that more than 3,000 Athens children cannot afford to see play out. If he doesn’t believe the experts around him in Washington, then he should listen to the people serving his constituents in Athens County.
Frankly, all Ohio lawmakers must hear the people and look at SNAP and Medicaid as an investment in our future. When children are too sick to attend school, they miss out on opportunities to learn, grow, and become the future leaders of Athens County or even all of Ohio. Their families should not have to make weekly decisions between putting food on the table and seeking medical care.
Now is the time for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Balderson included, to stand up for Athens County children and reject any federal budget that puts their health, futures, and lives at risk. We must protect Medicaid now. We urge him not to vote for any bill that includes cuts to SNAP and Medicaid when the House is eventually tasked with its final budget vote.
Dr. John Stanford & Dr. Guillermo Bervejillo
Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio
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