Congress | Warner, Kaine on Augusta Health OBBB closures: ‘Partisan tax bill’ to blame

The move by Augusta Health to close three healthcare locations, and directly cite that the reason is the Trump/MAGA One Big Beautiful Bill, has the attention of U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.

“We appreciate Augusta Health’s courage and transparency in being clear about the cause of these closures: reckless cuts forced through by our Republican colleagues. We warned that their partisan tax bill would lead to shuttered clinics, lost jobs, and reduced access to critical health care services, especially in rural communities. Sadly, this is exactly what we are now seeing – and no amount of massive tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy can justify the damage to Virginia families,” the senators said in a joint statement released Tuesday morning.

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ICYMI

• Protestors gather across the street from Augusta Health to protest Medicaid cuts
• The Medicaid cuts aren’t an other people problem: They impact us all

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Last week, Augusta Medical Group announced that it has decided to close three care facilities – Weyers Cave Urgent Care, Buena Vista Primary Care and Churchville Primary Care, all on the periphery of the Augusta Medical Group/Augusta Health service area.

“These decisions are never easy, but demonstrate Augusta Health’s commitment to deploying innovative access strategies for addressing demand at the neighborhood level,” said Kris Doan, president of Augusta Medical Group, in a news release, which cast the closures as “part of Augusta Medical Group/Augusta Health’s ongoing response to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the resulting realities for healthcare delivery,” and also tries to soft-pedal the closures as a consolidation of services.

“They are necessary to ensure the future of Augusta Health and to provide the consistent, cost-effective care our communities deserve. We remain focused on meeting the evolving needs of the Shenandoah Valley while keeping our patients at the center of everything we do,” Doan said.

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ICYMI

• Augusta Health on the brink? Hospital makes plea to save Medicaid

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The regional hospital had started sounding the alarm about that Big Ugly Bill as the legislation began making its way through Congress in the spring, because 28 percent of its patients have their healthcare costs covered by Medicaid – well above the national average of Medicaid patients for a hospital, which is 16.7 percent.

Even before the cuts the MAGAs enacted so that they can give rich people a tax break, Medicaid wasn’t exactly paying its bills: Augusta Health, with annual revenues at $469 million in 2023, according to its IRS filing for that year, reported a $6.7 million shortfall in reimbursements from Medicaid.

On top of that, the hospital reported providing $9.1 million in financial assistance to patients, in essence, free healthcare.

Last week’s news release related that patients at Buena Vista Primary Care are being reassigned to either Augusta Health Maury River Family Practice or Augusta Health Primary Care in Lexington.

Patients at Churchville Primary Care are being encouraged to seek care at Augusta Health Family Practice in Verona.

Patients at Weyers Cave Urgent Care are being encouraged to visit the Augusta Health Urgent Care locations in Staunton.

Augusta Health will deploy its Mobile Clinic to Weyers Cave to ensure continued access to care in the area, the press release noted.