Sullivan County hospital bracing for financial impact of Big Beautiful Bill
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The CEO of Sullivan County Community Hospital says the facility will not be closing if the Big Beautiful Bill is approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
However, Michelle Franklin tells our partners at WTWO-TV that the hospital could face financial issues as a result of cuts to Medicaid laid out in the bill.
In a letter dated June 12 to Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, several members of Congress, including Senator Charles Schumer, outlined numerous rural hospitals, including 12 in Indiana, that could face closure due to Medicaid cuts.
Sullivan County Community Hospital is among the Indiana hospitals on the list, and Franklin said she does have concerns on the bill’s impact throughout Indiana if it is approved.
“If it goes through with the senate language, it could result in several billions of dollars of loss to our hospitals in this state,” Franklin told WTWO. “Not just my hospital, which would have millions of dollars of loss from Medicaid, but across our state. I think just across the board, it’s a really critical bill for our state.”
The 12 Indiana hospitals listed in the letter are:
- Daviess Community Hospital in Washington
- Memorial Hospital Logansport in Logansport
- Community Hospital of Bremen Inc. in Bremen
- Ascension St. Vincent Randolph in Winchester
- Ascension St. Vincent Jennings in North Vernon
- Ascension St. Vincent Clay in Brazil
- Ascension St. Vincent Salem in Salem
- IU Health Jay Hospital in Portland
- Franciscan Health Rensselaer in Rensselaer
- Sullivan County Community Hospital in Sullivan
- Adams Memorial Hospital in Decatur
- Harrison County Hospital in Corydon
The bill is now being considered by the House of Representatives after being approved Tuesday by the Senate.