Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has applied for a billion dollars in federal aid to assist rural health care providers.
The money would come from the new Rural Health Transformation Program.
Half of the $50 billion in program funds are equally available to all states who qualify.
Hobbs spokesperson Christian Slater said Arizona’s plan for the money covers a range of issues.
"Behavioral health and substance abuse disorder, investments in maternal-fetal health initiatives, and also for rural health care resiliency," Slater said.
But the other half will be split by how states plan to follow federal mandates, like a work requirement for Medicaid recipients.
The program came in Trump's spending bill that the Kaiser Family Foundation says aims to cut $137 billion in Medicaid dollars sent to rural hospitals.
A study done by the University of North Carolina says five Arizona hospitals are at most risk of closure because of Medicaid cuts:
- Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales.
- Copper Queen Community Hospital in Bisbee.
- Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center in Globe.
- Page Hospital.
- Winslow Memorial Hospital.
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