Drive times to maternity care likely to increase for rural residents with Medicaid, study finds

While Ohio Medicaid enrollees who live in rural areas have a shorter drive time to maternity care than those in most other states, recent federal policy changes are expected to lead to longer driving times as more rural obstetric units close, a new study found (source: “More rural hospital closures would mean long drives for pregnant women seeking obstetric care,” Stateline, Aug. 28).
 
The KFF study suggests that the closure of rural obstetrics units will accelerate because of the healthcare changes included in HR 1, the federal reconciliation bill signed into law last summer. That law will reduce some payments to hospitals and cut Medicaid enrollment by introducing work requirements.
 
Nationwide, the median drive time between hospitals providing inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees and the closest in-state alternative is 43 minutes for rural hospitals compared with 13 minutes for urban hospitals, the analysis found.
 
The states with the longest potential driving times, according to the KFF analysis, are Alaska, Nevada and North Dakota. The states with the shortest drive times are New Jersey, Louisiana and Ohio.