Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear argued the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax policy bill will have a “devastating” impact on rural communities.
“It’s the single worst piece of legislation I’ve seen in my lifetime, and it is a congressional Republican and presidential attack on rural America,” the Democrat told CNN’s Dana Bash in a July 6 interview on "State of the Union."
He said around 200,000 people in Kentucky are could lose their healthcare under the bill, which implements new work requirements for Medicaid and a raft of other restrictions that healthcare experts argue will trigger hospital closures in rural areas.
Lawmakers included a $50 billion fund in the legislation to prop up these hospitals, but experts say it won’t be enough to make up for the $155 billion expected decline in federal Medicaid spending in rural areas.
Beshear, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the party in 2028, said up to 35 rural hospitals in Kentucky could be at risk of closing as a result of the bill.
“What that means is our economy takes a huge hit,” he said.
“You lose 200 jobs from doctors and nurses and orderlies and all of a sudden the coffee shop does worse, the bank doesn’t have as many folks coming in. This is going to hit rural America right in the face.”
Read the rest at the Courier-Journal.
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