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Poll results:
We received 320 votes on the Thursday poll, “Should companies behind major Oklahoma development projects be required to publicly disclose their investors?”
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes, taxpayers deserve transparency. (235)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Only if public money is involved. (71)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No, private investments should remain private. (10)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Not sure. (4)
New poll question at the bottom of today’s newsletter. (You can also suggest a poll question by emailing me at [email protected].)
Rural Oklahoma hospitals at risk of closure from Medicaid cuts, lack of revenue
Photo by Andrej Lišakov for Unsplash
By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
👉 Click here to support this newsroom.
Over a dozen rural Oklahoma hospitals are at immediate risk of closing, according to a national report.
Nationwide, 260 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure and 17 of those are in Oklahoma, according to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a national policy center. Oklahoma also has 44 rural hospitals the report classifies as “at risk” of closing, but not as immediately as the other 17.
Rich Rasmussen, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, said the report doesn’t necessarily reflect the full financial picture for these hospitals, but the risk of their closure becomes more real if congressional cuts to Medicaid from the Big Beautiful Bill take effect.
The report focuses on whether a hospital is making money on delivering care but doesn’t take into account supplemental Medicaid and tax payments that help push them into the black, he said. Rasmussen said federal cuts to programs, such as the Supplemental Hospital Offset Payment Program which allows the state to draw down additional federal Medicaid matching funds to offset revenue losses, puts rural hospitals at risk.
Without supplemental Medicaid payments, Oklahoma’s critical access hospitals are operating with a negative margin, Rasmussen said. Critical access hospitals, which are specially designated rural providers, are the “smallest and most frail” hospitals, he said.
“I think what the report tells us is that we have hospitals that are at risk today, based on the fact they lose money delivering care because the reimbursements are inadequate,” Rasmussen said. “Now, those hospitals survive because of the special Medicaid payments that unfortunately Congress has cut. So the challenge that we have going forward over this next decade is how many hospitals will we lose because of these Medicaid cuts that Congress passed.”
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The Oklahoma Rundown
Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.
Here’s what’s happening in Oklahoma today:
Oklahoma executes James Pavatt for 2001 murder of Rob Andrew (KGOU)
‘Put this to rest’: Van Treese family responds to Richard Glossip’s lesser charge in killing of Barry Van Treese (NonDoc)
Grand jury justice collects 5,000 signatures, seeks investigation into Tulsa County DA’s Office (KJRH)
Statewide manhunt comes to an end with suspect arrested, family upset (KFOR)
Former Logan County Deputy arrested on multiple criminal counts (KFOR)
‘The light of the school’: Tulsans mourn Webster High’s Aleena King with vigil and prayer (Tulsa Flyer)
OK Supreme Court sides 5-4 with HOA, rules short-term rental constitutes ‘business’ activity (NonDoc)
Oklahoma Ethics Commission leaves investigation into state Rep. Danny Williams open (KOCO)
Amidst affordability crisis, OKC plans $130 million housing strategy (KOSU)
Oklahoma officials hope Texas blue wave could spur growth for aerospace industry (KOSU)
Early childhood suspensions are high in Oklahoma; rolling back proposed federal standards could cause an increase (Oklahoma Watch)
How a proposed Oklahoma Jewish charter school could end up in the Supreme Court (StateImpact Oklahoma)
Veterans reflect on racism, sacrifice and service at Stutts House of Barbecue (The Oklahoma Eagle)
Friday Poll
Should Oklahoma do more to prevent rural hospitals from closing?
Explain this to me!
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