Medicaid cuts would hurt hospital, patients

NEWPORT – Significant cuts to Medicaid, the federal program for disabled and low-income people, would have devastating effects on individuals, working families, hospitals, clinics and many services, hospital spokesperson Jenny Smith wrote in an email in response to questions from The Miner.

“These cuts would have a particularly large impact on the Pend Oreille River Valley because we have high usage of Medicaid,” Smith wrote. “People think of Medicaid as an urban program, but the percentage of people using Medicaid in rural communities is much higher than in urban communities. Newport Hospital and Health Services also accepts Idaho Medicaid to serve our neighbors across the border.”