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Tuesday, February 11, 2025

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A potent winter storm is thumping 1,500 miles of the US. Two more are right behind it; Amid scientists' warnings, Trump admin. sued over medical research cuts; Mississippi communities find local solutions to rural education challenges; CT groups rally against gas pipeline expansion.

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President Donald Trump approves 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Democrats who oppose dismantling the agency have been denied access to the Department of Education. And some places buck policy trends on sex education and immigration.

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Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

New Mexico's rural families fear proposed federal cuts to Medicaid

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Tuesday, January 21, 2025   

With President Donald Trump back in office, Congressional Republicans are eager to extend his 2017 tax cuts, which likely means slashing the Medicaid program which covers half of all children living in rural New Mexico.

A House GOP proposal floated a nearly $2.5 trillion Medicaid reduction. At the same time, a new report emphasized how the public health program has prevented care access from further eroding.

Mónica Otero, health research and policy analyst for New Mexico Voices for Children, said difficult conditions for rural residents would only get worse.

"Our rural communities already experience long wait times for health care," Otero pointed out. "They're having to drive three to four hours depending on where they live. So, it could really be harmful for the communities with the closure of hospitals and provider shortages."

The report from Georgetown University showed nationwide, 120 health facilities have either closed or quit offering inpatient services over the past decade. New Mexico is one of six states where at least half of children living in small towns and rural areas are covered by Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, called the budget proposals "horrifying," while suggesting the public might be caught off guard because the program was not really discussed on the campaign trail last fall.

"There was complete silence about it, despite the fact that it is the largest source of public coverage by far in the United States," Alker observed. "It's also a very popular program with the voters of all political stripes."

According to federal figures, more than 72 million Americans, or roughly one in five citizens, were enrolled in Medicaid as of last October.

Disclosure: The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, and Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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