Derek Merrin: Medicaid Cuts In The One Big Beautiful Bill Were Projected To Cut More Than $75 Million In Revenue To Hospitals In OH-09, Making Patient Care Worse

Under The One Big Beautiful Bill, Hospitals In OH-09 Were Projected To Lose More Than $75 Million In Revenue As A Result Of Medicaid Cuts. [Third Way, GOP Medicaid Cuts Will Decimate Hospitals Nationwide, 7/8/25]

[Third Way, GOP Medicaid Cuts Will Decimate Hospitals Nationwide, 7/8/25]

NOTE: This table reflects OH-09 lines post-redistricting.

Cleveland.com: Medicaid Cuts In The Big Beautiful Bill Would “Increase Death Rates, Cause Later Stage Disease Diagnosis, And Threaten Hospitals’ Bottom Line, Experts Say.” “Pushing more than 7 million people off the Medicaid rolls, as the latest draft of Congress’ ‘big beautiful’ tax and spending bill would do, will increase death rates, cause later stage disease diagnosis, and threaten hospitals’ bottom line, experts say. Studies examining mortality and disease rates of millions who obtained Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act prove the case, says Philip A. Cola, a professor of healthcare management at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. People without insurance are more likely to delay treatment for chronic or emerging conditions, says Cola, leading to higher rates of late-stage diagnoses for cancer and other conditions. They’re also less likely to get regular checkups that can catch problems early. ‘People don’t go and seek the help that they probably know that they need, and so it leads to later stage diagnosis,’ which leads to increased mortality rates, says Cola.” [Cleveland.com, 5/27/25]

Dr. Christina Campana, Ohio Chapter Of The American College Of Emergency Physicians President: Decreased Reimbursements And Increased ER Visits Forced Hospitals To Cut Costs, Resulting In “Fewer Staff, Longer Wait Times, And In Some Cases, Communities Losing Access To Health Care Altogether.” “‘When Medicaid is cut, those people don’t stop getting sick or injured,’ said Dr. Christina Campana, president of the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. ‘They keep showing up to the emergency department because they have nowhere else to go.’ […] Campana said that if those covered by expanded Medicaid are suddenly uninsured, ‘it’s going to be orders of magnitude worse. We’re already on a thin sheet of ice. I think there’s going to be more unnecessary deaths and the amount of preventable things is going to be really hard for health care workers to stomach.’ She explained how all patients will be hurt. At her hospital, about 66% of the people who show up in the ER are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, or both. About 20% have private insurance, and the remaining 14% are uninsured. ‘So when you cut Medicaid, you’re increasing the number of people who are uninsured, and decreasing reimbursements,’ Campana said, explaining that will force hospitals to cut costs. ‘When you trim costs, you actually end up cutting care. So the way the hospital deals with this is they end up cutting staffing. It forces hospitals to make really hard choices. They have fewer staff, longer wait times, and in some cases, communities losing access to health care altogether. Particularly in small, rural communities.’” [Ohio Capital Journal, 7/10/25]

• Dr. Campana: “If Hundreds Of Thousands Of Low-Income Ohioans Are Suddenly Uninsured, Emergency Rooms Will Have To Care For A Lot More People Who Can’t Pay.” “One place the hammer will fall most heavily is the emergency department. That’s because under the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, it has to treat all emergencies, whether people have insurance or not. ‘Emergency departments are the safety net of our health care system,’ said Campana, who is herself an emergency department doctor. So if hundreds of thousands of low-income Ohioans are suddenly uninsured, emergency rooms will have to care for a lot more people who can’t pay. ‘It’s going to leave Ohio in the lurch — especially the most vulnerable patients,’ Campana said. ‘It doesn’t save money in the long run. It just shifts costs. Worse outcomes. Driving more people to the emergency department. It’s penny wise and pound foolish.’ Ohio hospitals generally and rural ones in particular are already struggling. The Ohio Hospital Association in May told the legislature that half of Ohio hospitals and 72% of rural hospitals have reported operating losses since 2022.” [Ohio Capital Journal, 7/10/25]