Protect Our Care Releases New Report as Part of Medicaid Awareness Month on Importance of Medicaid As a Lifeline For Rural Communities In Dealing With Spread of Coronavirus
Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report as part of Medicaid Awareness Month on how communities in rural America are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, and how Medicaid is an important tool for covering rural Americans and supporting struggling rural hospitals. Rural Americans face particular challenges when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic due to higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions, lower coverage rates, and other barriers to accessing health care. This report sheds light on those disparities and points out how the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on Medicaid and state Republicans’ refusal to implement expansion puts rural Americans’ health and safety at risk during this crisis.
Report: Rural America in the Balance: Medicaid, Coronavirus & Rural Hospitals
“Medicaid is a lifeline for Americans in rural communities and its importance has never been clearer as rural America struggles with the spread of coronavirus,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “In order to ensure the health and safety of all Americans, but especially those in rural communities who lack necessary resources and access to care during this crisis, we need to ensure that funding for Medicaid is protected and the program is expanded. The Trump administration must stop its years-long effort to sabotage Medicaid and allow states to expand Medicaid so that Americans everywhere get access to the care they need.”