Why Washington faces huge fallout from the Medicaid cuts in Trump's megabill
A rural central Washington hospital is warning of devastating consequences from the Medicaid cuts the Republican-led Congress passed last week.
For years, Astria Health has worked to find a path forward for its hospital in Toppenish on the Yakama Reservation. But the drastic downsizing of federal Medicaid funding threatens the hospital’s future, which could force it to change services, consolidate with Astria’s hospital about 20 miles away in Sunnyside or explore an acquisition or merger.
If the Toppenish hospital closes, the communities it serves would become a medical desert, hospital officials caution.
“We have stretched resources as far as they can go,” Astria President and CEO Brian Gibbons said in a statement. “But no health system — especially one serving multiple underserved communities — can continue reallocating funds without consequences.”
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/07/09/why-washington-faces-huge-fallout-from-the-medicaid-cuts-in-trumps-megabill/