KGOU

By: Jackie Fortier

As more GOP-led states with vast rural areas consider Medicaid expansion, supporters in Oklahoma are watching. They say it’s the best solution to make sure rural hospitals survive.

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Oklahoma’s rural hospitals are in trouble: Four have closed in the past eight years, and the hospital association estimates that half of rural to mid-sized hospitals in the state are in danger of shuttering.

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Oklahoma has the second-highest uninsured rate in the nation — a major financial strain on hospitals. Joan Alker, a researcher at Georgetown University who studies health policy, said the number of people without health insurance is even higher in rural areas. “We found that 38 percent — that’s almost four in 10 — uninsured, low-income adults would benefit from the Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma as compared to 32 percent of similar adults in metro areas,” Alker said. “We continue to see over time growing gaps in coverage levels between Medicaid expanders and the non-expanders.” Rural places tend to be poorer and have higher rates of unemployment and disability — all factors linked to Medicaid eligibility. “You know when there’s that many uninsured folks, it exposes them to medical debt and bankruptcy and exposes the hospitals and clinics that see them to a lot of bad debt,” Alker said.

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