KFF Analysis Maps Rural Hospital Maternity Care Access for Medicaid Enrollees
A KFF data note examines the availability of rural hospitals providing inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees, analyzing potential access impacts if additional rural facilities close maternity units. The analysis assesses current service availability across rural geographies and models how closures would affect Medicaid beneficiaries' access to hospital-based maternity services. The research addresses ongoing rural hospital financial pressures and service line retractions that disproportionately affect Medicaid populations. State Medicaid agencies can use these findings to inform network adequacy standards, delivery system planning, and strategies to sustain maternity access in rural markets where Medicaid represents a significant payer share.