Summary
Rural Missouri is losing its hospitals. In 2024, two more small clinics closed. Now, many families drive over 40 minutes just to see a doctor. Senator Schmitt sided with the White House to cut $400 million from the PEPFAR health program, instead of helping our towns. We need to raise Medicaid payments so hospitals can stay open, use video doctor visits for people far away, and bring back small town clinics with real support for country doctors.
Left Behind in a Health Care Desert: Rural Missouri’s Hospital Crisis
Washington vs. Missouri
On July 15, 2025, Republicans dropped a $400 million cut to the global AIDS program PEPFAR. That cut was pulled from a $9 billion rescissions package. Senator Eric Schmitt led this effort with the White House. He is working for the executive branch, not the people who elected him. (Politico)
Updated 2024 Closures
In 2024, two rural health facilities closed in Missouri:
- Ridgeview Living Community in Dunklin County closed on May 21, 2024.
- Senath South Health Care Center in Pemiscot County closed on October 8, 2024.
No new full hospitals have closed in 2025 so far. But 43% of rural hospitals are at risk and 17% are in immediate danger because of proposed Medicaid cuts.
Our Rural Health-Care Reality
The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services says 12 rural hospitals closed between 2014 and 2023. That includes hospitals in Callaway, Audrain, and Cooper counties. Now, many farm families must drive over 40 minutes for care.
- Nearly half of rural hospitals lost money in 2023, and 92 closed nationwide in the last ten years.
- Many families face ambulance rides or long drives for lifesaving treatment.
What Needs to Change
- Raise Medicaid rates back to at least 6% so hospitals can stay open.
- Use telehealth to bring doctors to remote towns.
- Reopen and staff Critical Access Hospitals with clear incentives for rural doctors.
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