As Hospitals Close, More and More Americans Live Too Far From Emergency Rooms

03 Aug As Hospitals Close, More and More Americans Live Too Far From Emergency Rooms

More Americans are living in hospital deserts, places where the nearest emergency room is 30 or more miles away, as rural hospitals are under increased threat of closure.

​”Some in Congress have proposed efforts to try to save rural hospitals. A bipartisan group of senators led by Iowa Republican Charles Grassley introduced a bill that would change Medicare rules to allow rural hospitals to have an emergency room and outpatient care, without the need for hospital beds.

‘A car accident or a heart attack is dangerous under the best of circumstances, but it’s a lot more dangerous for someone who’s far away from an emergency room,’ Grassley said. ‘When a rural hospital closes, its emergency room closes with it.'”