On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Budget Reconciliation Bill, better known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which quickly received a great deal of commentary from both the Democrat and Republican sides of the isle.
Not to be left out of the conversation, the ACLU-WV (the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia) issued a warning that multiple West Virginia hospitals could possibly close if the bill passed. Among the seven was Calhoun’s own Minnie Hamilton Health System.
The list of seven were:
- Broaddus Hospital (Philippi)
- Grafton City Hospital
- Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center (Grantsville)
- Jackson General Hospital (Ripley)
- Logan Regional Medical Center
- Welch Community Hospital
- Montgomery General Hospital
The ACLU-WV post came through social media (below)
ACLU-WV cited information provided by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina. Their data can be found in this letter to Trump.
Ridgeview News asked Minnie Hamilton Health System Administrator, Steve Whited to respond regarding the ACLU-WV statement and suggestion that Calhoun is at risk of losing health care. That response is below:
Dear Community,
I to take a moment to address the recent discussions surrounding One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and the claims of potential impacts on hospital closures and reductions in Medicaid services. I want to assure you that Minnie Hamilton Health System remains as strong as ever, navigating these challenges with resilience and dedication.
There are third parties making claims about risks of program and facility closures all across the country and most recently some specific hospitals right here in our own home state. These third partis are basis their analysis on the percentage of income that a facility receives and that being more than 10% Medicaid, they claim those facilities would be in trouble. We are good stewards of our resources especially when we know West Virginia’s payer mix is 75% governmental payer. We have not seen the complete policy surrounding the OBBBA, but we all have seen public policies before, laws and regulatory changes that impact our healthcare industry so many times and will continue to see such changes.
These issues are not new to rural healthcare, and we are committed to staying the course, just as we have in the past. Your unwavering support and the dedication of our employees to serve our community play a vital role in overcoming these obstacles. Although I do not want to minimize the concerns with the pending legislation, but we are resolute, and we have our State and Federal elected officials to who are supportive of rural healthcare and our communities.
If you have any questions, concerns, or simply wish to have a conversation, please feel free to reach out to me directly at stephen.whited@mhhs.healthcare or 304-354-9735.
Thank you for your continued trust and support. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy fourth of July holiday.
Best, Steve
Stephen Whited, MBA CEO Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center, Inc. dba Minnie Hamilton Health System 186 Hospital Drive Grantsville, WV 26147 Ph: 304-354-9735 Fax: 304-354-5963 Email: stephen.whited@mhhs.healthcare Website: https://www.mhhs.healthcare
