{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Medicaid Cuts Could Be ‘Last Straw’ for Rural Hospitals, Says Garnet Health -Catskills CEO","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":815,"description":"The CEO of Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills is warning that newly signed federal legislation could deal a severe blow to rural hospitals already on the financial brink.In a wide-ranging interview with Radio Catskill, Jerry Dunlavey, who oversees Garnet Health’s two Sullivan County campuses in Harris and Callicoon, expressed concern about the sweeping Medicaid changes enacted earlier this month as part of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law by President Trump.“This bill shifts a significant amount of the funding responsibility from the federal government to the state government,” said Dunlavey. “And the concern is that the state is not going to be able to make up that difference. That’s going to cause significant challenges for health systems, particularly our rural hospitals.”State lawmakers have warned that as many as 1.5 million New Yorkers could lose access to health coverage under the new law. According to Dunlavey, that could include as many as 40,000 residents in the Hudson Valley region alone.Financial Uncertainty DeepensAlthough the specifics of the law are still being analyzed, Dunlavey noted the immediate risk is clear. In Sullivan County, he said, 35–40% of Garnet Health’s patients are on Medicaid, and a similar portion are on Medicare. Only about 20% are commercially insured or pay out-of-pocket.“That payer mix is a recipe for barely being able to break even,” he said. “If you start to cut programs that fund the organization, it’s going to be significant.”Rural hospitals like Garnet have already been navigating financial headwinds, including recent cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates and physician fees. Last month, Garnet Health announced job reductions and the closure of two services: pulmonary rehab and diabetes education—programs Dunlavey said provided excellent care but had become unsustainable to operate.“The unfortunate consequence is that when programs can’t support the cost of their operations, it presents hospital...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}