Rural Hospitals Review Budgets and Services in Response to Medicaid Reductions

CLAXTON, Ga. () — Evans Memorial Hospital serves rural Evans, Tattnall and other surrounding counties, but its budget and services could be limited soon, according to hospital staff.

CEO Bill Lee told News 3 they are preparing for the potential future impacts of Medicaid cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Several other rural hospitals are doing the same. St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, Georgia, for example, is ending services for delivering mothers and newborn babies due to Medicaid cuts in Trump’s budget law, according to a press release.

Lee said no drastic measures are being taken at this time, but they are looking at their options. For example, $3.3 million dollars could be cut from the hospital’s budget.

“Access is priority, so what can we do to ensure that we have access to care? Like every other rural hospital in the State of Georgia, we’re all trying to be smart and look at what we can sustain and what we can’t sustain long term,” Lee said.

As far as services, Lee said the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) costs the most for patients. While it’s important for the community, the ICU also impacts the facility’s bottom line and would be one of the first on the chopping block.

“Knowing the unknown, the uncertainty with future cuts with regards to Medicaid, with other funding streams, with the potential changes in perhaps unemployment and the under-insured, all of those things factor into the equation in which we think about how can we sustain programs like our intensive care unit,” Lee said.

The ICU closure, however, would be detrimental for the almost 30,000 people in the Evans Memorial service area. The closest ICU for Evans and Tattnall County residents is a 30 to 45-minute drive.

According to Lee, Evans Memorial hasn’t had OBGYN services since 2010.

Leaders like U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff believe that supporting rural healthcare is a matter of life and death.

“It’s not a mystery that in a flourishing society, the means of achieving health and a long life are a right accessible to all people, and not just to those who live in the right place or have the means,” Ossoff said.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act created the opportunity for states to apply for aid through the Rural Health Transformation Fund. Lee said he is working with state and local officials to make sure Evans Memorial is represented and considered for that funding.

Rep. Buddy Carter told , the program makes critical investments in Georgia’s rural hospitals, communities, and providers.

“This $50 billion targeted, yet flexible, fund efficiently assists facilities at risk of closure while continuing to address waste, fraud, and abuse. Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, this fund will make rural health care more accessible, save lives, and strengthen safety-net programs for generations to come,” Rep. Carter said.

A White House spokesperson sent the following statement on the Rural Health Transformation Program, “[This] is a $50 billion investment from the federal government – the largest investment in rural health care to date – that will drive reform and target the systemic reasons why hospitals in rural America have struggled for years. This program is a win for every rural community across the country, and the administration urges every single governor to apply.”