Obamacare haters inflict more injuries on the poors.

 Another rural hospital closes because of state's Medicaid refusal (Click on this heading to read more)

Rss@dailykos.com (joan Mccarter)
Wednesday, February 19, 2014, 8:41 pm
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The Lower Oconee Community Hospital in southeastern Georgia has just 25 beds, but it is a "critical access" hospital. It's closing because, without Medicaid expansion, there are too few patients in the area who can afford to pay for their medical services.
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    Patients in the Wheeler County region who need more extensive medical care after the hospital closes will need to travel upwards of thirty miles in order to receive it.
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    "We just did not have sufficient volume to support the expenses," said CEO Karen O'Neal in an interview with local CBS affiliate WMAZ. "It's a terrible situation, and it's tragic, the loss of jobs and the economic impact."
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    Last fall, Bloomberg reported that at least five public hospitals in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia - including three in Georgia alone - were cutting staff and services in the wake of their refusal to expand Medicaid. These hospitals are so-called "Disproportionate Share Hospitals" - providers that serve a disproportionate number of poor and uninsured Americans, and as such don't always receive payments for the care they give patients.