While Pennsylvania’s healthcare challenges are widespread, they hit rural communities hardest, Terry Gilliland, MD, president and CEO of Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger, wrote in a March 19 commentary piece published in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Limited access to care, workforce shortages and rising costs are straining rural providers and worsening outcomes for patients, Dr. Gilliland wrote.
The challenges facing rural communities and healthcare providers in Pennsylvania are not new but are poised to worsen amid HR 1-related funding cuts, Dr. Gilliland said. Pennsylvania recently received more than $193 million in the first round of funding from the Rural Health Transformation Program. It is below the $200 million average received across the country, despite Pennsylvania holding the third-largest rural population in the U.S., he added.
“The fact is rural community members will continue to get sick and come to us for care, even if they lose access to their health insurance,” Dr. Gilliland said. “The only difference is that we will no longer be reimbursed for the care we provide these patients.”
Geisinger is projecting revenue losses of up to $188 million annually, beginning in 2028, as a result of HR 1 — nearly as much as what it received in RHTP funding, he said. He described the funding as a missed opportunity and said Geisinger is eager to be part of future conversations regarding funding and approaches to make the most of it across the state.
More than 25 Pennsylvania hospitals have closed in the past 10 years, and industry experts caution more could follow amid looming federal cuts. As many as 12 to 14 hospitals could close in the next five years, according to an analysis from consulting firm Oliver Wyman, which was commissioned by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
“Rural communities deserve more than the bare minimum in access and quality. ‘Good enough’ simply isn’t good enough,” Dr. Gilliland said. “These communities deserve better, and we’re eager to play our part in elevating healthcare across Pennsylvania’s rural communities.”
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