Proposed cuts to Medicaid being debated in Congress would trickle down to the nation’s smallest communities that rely on that funding to keep providing mental health services.
Lawmakers say they’re trimming the budget but intend to keep the most vital services intact. However, research by K-F-F Health News shows mental health services are already struggling in rural Iowa. Cuts proposed for Medicaid could force some providers to close their doors. Business owner David Jacobsen in Spencer lost a son to suicide and says services that helped his son on many occasions are already stretched thin…
Dozens of rural hospitals in Iowa and across the country have pledged not to close their doors, but reduced funding could prompt them to at least reduce services. The Trump administration says it’s reducing waste and fraud across all sectors of the budget. People experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 9-8-8, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Jacobsen says while Spencer is small, service cuts at its hospital would be even more far-reaching and affect people needing mental health services even deeper into rural Iowa…
The U-S House has passed a budget resolution containing the proposed Medicaid cuts. It awaits action in the Senate, where even some Republicans say the reductions would be too deep.
(credit to Iowa News Service)
