Oklahoma healthcare officials warn of rural hospital closures amid pending Medicaid cuts

Last Friday, as part of a statewide video conference, several of Oklahoma's healthcare leaders warned of the consequences the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act could bring to the state’s hospitals. 

While these cuts are expected to pass, hospital leaders said there was no plan made for the loss of money Oklahoma hospitals need to stay open. They said facility closures would be the difference between life and death for many Oklahomans. 

"Just making cuts without a plan is dangerous for Oklahomans,” said Denise Webber, president and chief executive officer, Stillwater Medical Center. 

President of Mercy OKC Communities Bennett Geister said the Medicaid cuts in the bill would cut into their mission. 

“The impacts ... would be incredibly concerning,” Geister said. “At a minimum, I think it's safe to say there will be continued service line closures and loss of jobs.”  

Trent Bourland, Vice President of Rural Development at SSM Health Oklahoma, said rural communities would suffer the most. 

“I truly fear what's going to happen to rural communities if these cuts take place,” Bourland said. 

Geister projected that about 500 jobs would be impacted within the OKC Mercy health system. 

“Our goal is to obviously to do everything in our power to save jobs because our caregivers are the pulse of our calling,” Geister said. “When you look at the fact that over fifty percent of counties in our state right now are classified as maternity deserts, it's not the direction that anyone in our communities wants to go. Over sixty percent of Medicaid recipients are women and children.” 

Geister said Medicaid is an essential revenue source that keeps rural hospital doors open.  

“You're gonna see fewer hospitals that deliver babies for all patients,” Geister said. “That means longer drive times for pregnant women who need access to care.” 

Over the next 10 years, the Oklahoma Hospital Association projected $8 billion in state hospital losses.

“Cuts of this magnitude; we have not seen anything like this in our recent history,” Webber said. 

The bill has the word “beautiful” in its title, but healthcare leaders agreed there’s nothing beautiful about patients potentially losing the care they depend on.  

“It is enormous and there is not a plan for what would happen to fellow Oklahomans,” Webber said.