President Trump’s visit to Nashville comes on the heels of the announcement that the 10th rural hospital will close in the Volunteer State since 2010, all while Republicans have held total control of the state government. Republican State Representative, Steve McDaniel laid the blame directly at the feet of other Republicans for blocking Medicaid Expansion.
Republicans have also been unwilling to support funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides care for over 72,000 kids in Tennessee. According from Georgetown University, children in rural communities are 24% more likely than in urban communities to rely on CHIP and Medicaid.
Mary Mancini, Chair of Tennessee Democratic Party release the following statement:
“In rural communities across Tennessee, families face the prospect that when a child breaks a leg or a grandparent falls ill, there is no emergency room to turn to. Imagine having to check your GPS to find out which hospital is closest while someone you love is having a heart attack. Democrats tried to work with Governor Haslam and reasonable Republicans to pass Insure Tennessee, but extremists within their party refused and Tennessee families are suffering as a result.
“At the Federal level, the Republican health care repeal plans supported by President Trump and every Tennessee Republican in Congress included massive cuts to Medicaid, which would have put as many as 32 more hospitals at risk of closing. Rep. Diane Black’s budget aimed to cut an additional $1.5 trillion from Medicaid.
“This isn’t just a healthcare issue. People in rural communities are struggling to keep a roof over their head and buy food for their families because there are no jobs available that can sustain a family. Businesses will not go to communities that don’t have a hospital.”
