Ohio faces health care challenges as Medicaid funding wavers

Farah Siddiqi

As Congress debates potential cuts to Medicaid, a new report from Georgetown University sheds light on how these changes could disproportionately impact rural communities. In Ohio, where over 18% of the population resides in rural areas - higher than the national average - Medicaid plays a critical role in ensuring access to healthcare for families.

Brittany Boulton, vice president of Groundwork Ohio, says proposed cuts - $2.3 trillion - could have significant consequences.

"Cuts to Medicaid of the scale that we've been hearing about potentially coming through Congress would make these problems far worse and leave thousands of Ohioans and rural families without access to coverage and care," she explained.

While the report highlights challenges in rural areas, urban communities in Ohio also face healthcare barriers. Transportation and financial issues often prevent families from attending preventive care appointments, even when facilities are available, worsening health disparities and underscoring the need for continued Medicaid support for vulnerable populations across the state.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and lead author of the report, says Medicaid doesn't just provide healthcare - it supports local healthcare systems, which are already under strain.

"These communities, which already face additional challenges, will be devastated by significant federal cuts to Medicaid. It is serving children. It is serving seniors in nursing homes, people with disabilities," Alker contended.

The report says 30% of children in Ohio's rural areas receive healthcare coverage through Medicaid, highlighting its importance. Boulton points to Ohio's troubling infant mortality rates, with Black infants faring worse.

"Our premature birth rate is over 10%, and Ohio does rank in the bottom 10 for infant mortality across the country, across all states. Cuts to the Medicaid program would absolutely be detrimental to those outcomes that we're trying so desperately to improve," Boulton continued.

Critics argue that reducing Medicaid funding could worsen health outcomes, especially in rural regions where maternal care deserts already exist, with 13 counties already completely lacking maternal health services.