A crisis in US rural healthcare
One in three hospitals face closure as staff quit and patients can't pay their bills.
Business Daily · BBC World Service
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (open.live.bbc.co.uk) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
America’s rural hospitals face an uncertain future. One in three are now at risk of closure as doctors and nurses quit, patients struggle to pay their medical bills and government covid subsidies stop.
We hear from the front line of one rural hospital in Luray, Virginia. Travis Clark, the hospital's president, and Dr David Lee explain the everyday challenges facing patients and staff.
Alan Morgan from the National Rural Health Association tells us why rural hospitals are struggling. Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute in Washington DC argues that rural hospitals should stop relying on subsidies and close their doors if they can’t become more efficient.
Presenter and producer: Szu Ping Chan.
Image: Dr David Lee in the emergency room of Page Memorial Hospital in Luray, Virginia; Credit: BBC