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"Cuts to Medicaid are cuts to care." Hillsdale Hospital voices concern for rural neighborhoods

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  • Video shows Jeremiah Hodshire, President & CEO of Hillsdale Hospital.
  • The House has outlined budget cuts in general. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says cuts to Medicaid would need to be included to reach those levels of cuts.
  • Hodshire says cuts to Medicaid would have major impacts on rural hospitals, like Hillsdale, whether the patients have Medicaid or not.

According to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, just over 27% of Michigan's total population is enrolled in Medicaid. In a recent release, according to Hillsdale Hospital, 11,000 Hillsdale neighbors are on Medicaid. President & CEO of Hillsdale Hospital, Jeremiah Hodshire, says, "The faces are many, and they're common-day folks that we see in our churches, in our schools, and in our places of employment," he explains. Hodshire explains what's at stake if Medicaid sees cuts.

Medicaid is insurance for Americans with low or no income, or who are living with a disability. The U.S. House has outlined budget cuts in general. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says cuts to Medicaid would need to be included to reach those levels of cuts. A specific budget has not yet been passed into law. In February, President Donald Trump said, "We're not going to touch it," referring to Medicaid. Even so, there's concern about the potential for changes to Medicaid, and Hodshire says the possible impact goes beyond those who are on Medicaid.

WATCH: "Hospitals, like Hillsdale, count on those dollars."

"Hospitals, like Hillsdale, count on those dollars."

"By eliminating those reimbursements to cover the cost of doing business for Medicaid patients would result in hospitals losing programs," explains Hodshire. He uses Obstetrics as an example. "When you shut down a service like Obstetrics for Medicaid patients, we're shutting that service down for all patients. Those patients now have to travel longer and further. In a community like Hillsdale, we are, within a 40-mile range, the only hospital delivering babies."

WATCH: What cutting programs and services would mean

Hodshire explains cuts to services.

For a rural community, like Hillsdale, Hodshire says this could have a major impact on the neighborhood. "The impact to rural communities is even more devastating, because we are the second largest employer in the city, third largest in the county. If you were to lose services and/or your hospital, the impact to the local economy is devastating."

WATCH: Hodshire hopes legislators provide a listening ear before decisions are made

Hodshire hopes Legislators provide a listening ear before decisions are made

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