Study shows rural, conservative areas have the most to lose if GOP slashes Medicaid

NC Newsline

It remains one of the most striking aspects of today’s health care policy debate that it’s rural and mostly conservative communities that tend to benefit the most from social safety net programs championed by Democrats.

This fact was brought home again in the recent report from Georgetown University researchers, who found that residents of the nation’s rural areas and small towns are more likely to rely on Medicaid for health coverage than city dwellers.

In North Carolina, Medicaid covered nearly 238,000 children from rural areas or small towns in 2023. That’s close to half of the kids living in those areas and more children than in every other state except Texas.

These facts are especially relevant right now given that Republican-congressional leaders have indicated they plan to work with President Trump to slash Medicaid in order to fund a new round of tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.

The bottom line: One hopes they’ll reconsider, but if Republicans plow ahead with plans to slash Medicaid, it’s their own constituents they’ll be harming the most.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.