As the dust settles on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law earlier this month by President Donald Trump, the work facing hospitals now begins in earnest.
Already we are starting to see the effects rippling across our region:
- In Fresno County, American Ambulance is bracing for a 50% cut in its Medi-Cal revenues.
- In the far north, Partnership HealthPlan of California’s Strategic Planning Committee met to discuss the bill’s far-reaching impact for not only hospitals and health plans, but also counties and the area’s federally qualified health centers (a workgroup will be formed in the coming months to better plan for local impacts).
- Alameda County’s Community Provider Advisory Group offered a forum for local leaders to advise the county about the bill’s impacts on access and coverage.
- The San Francisco Clinic Consortium hosted a virtual press conference with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who shared that the response from congressional Democrats will be focused on “litigation, legislation, mobilization, and communication.”
- Health care leaders across Humboldt and Del Norte counties discussed the “profoundly negative” ramifications for their communities in a recent interview with the Lost Coast Outpost.
- Santa Clara County has announced a potential $1 billion budget shortfall due to federal and state cuts, portending significant and potentially devastating effects on the region’s health care and emergency services.
Hospitals do not operate in a vacuum; they are part of a vast, interwoven continuum of care. A clinic closing means patients wait longer in emergency departments. Service line closures mean patients travel farther for care and have a harder time booking an appointment. Fewer resources for emergency transport mean care is delayed and patients experience worse outcomes.
Challenges for one part of this system mean challenges for all — which is why, as hospitals begin to adapt to health care’s new environment, partnerships with their communities will become a lifeline. By banding together, united in a common purpose, the entire health care system must work to fulfill our shared mission: supporting our communities’ health and well-being.