{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/investigation-requested-by-mccaskill-finds-missouris-lack-of-medicaid-expansion-key-factor-in-closure-of-rural-hospitals", "Investigation Requested by McCaskill Finds Missouri\u2019s Lack of Medicaid Expansion Key Factor in Closure of Rural Hospitals", "2018-10-02", "2018", "2018-10", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Investigation Requested by McCaskill Finds Missouri's Lack of Medicaid Expansion Key Factor in Closure of Rural Hospitals \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator: Jefferson City refused to act, and we've since lost vital access to four hospitals' \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, October 2, 2018\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON An investigation into the challenges facing rural hospitals done by the government's top watchdog at therequestof U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill found that the lack of Medicaid expansion was a key factor in the financial stability of rural hospitals.\r\n\r\nSince 2010, Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center in Kennett, SoutheastHEALTH Center of Reynolds County, Parkland Health Center-Weber Road in Farmington, and Sac-Osage Hospital in Osceola have closed due to financial struggles. Over two million Missouri residents rely on rural hospitals, and 41 percent of the state's hospitals are in rural areas.\r\n\r\nThis report confirms what I've heard from Missouri's medical health experts for yearsthat without expansion of Medicaid, our rural hospitals would struggle to survive, McCaskill said. I've worked across the aisle and fought to expand healthcare access for Missourians, but Jefferson City refused to act, and we've since lost vital access to four hospitals.\r\n\r\nThereportby the Government Accountability Office,which McCaskill requested last year, states, Medicaid expansion was associated with improved hospital financial performance and substantially lower likelihood of closure, especially in rural markets and counties with large numbers of uninsured adults before Medicaid expansion.\r\n\r\nMcCaskill has been a longtime advocate for improving access to quality healthcare in rural communities. McCaskillsupported a bipartisan proposalto improve Missourians' access to care by expandingtelehealth services in Medicare,andbacked a proposalthat would increase the number of doctors in rural Missouri.McCaskillcosponsored theResident Physician Shortage Reduction Actto loosen caps on the number of Medicare-backed graduate medical training slots and increase the number of Medicare-backed medical residents.\r\n\r\nAdditionally,McCaskillintroducedthe bipartisanHospital Payment Fairness Actthat would repeal a provision of theAffordable Care Actthat causes states, including Missouri, to subsidize high wages at hospitals through Medicare reimbursement rates.\r\n\r\nVisitmccaskill.senate.gov/ruralto learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri.\r\n\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/investigation-requested-by-mccaskill-finds-missouris-lack-of-medicaid-expansion-key-factor-in-closure-of-rural-hospitals"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.6160769630223513, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}