2024 - Rural Health Care

Indiana ranks among the WORST states for quality of healthcare and among the MOST EXPENSIVE for health care costs. This has come about due to CORPORATE CONSOLIDATION of healthcare facilities. About half of Indiana’s communities now live in a monopoly for healthcare meaning these corporations can drive up our costs. Further, they are placing profit expectations on facilities and close them when they don’t perform. This includes Blackford County Hospital which closed for ER and in patient services in September of 2023. The people from Blackford County are now a minimum of a 35 minute ambulance ride from one of four hospitals in surrounding counties. This means that people are outside of the “golden hour” to get into an ER in case of stroke or heart attack. This trend will continue throughout our rural counties unless something is done to stop these corporations from raping our healthcare system. Which county is next? Jay? Randolph? We need new legislation to make it out of committee to regulate them and ensure that they are prosecuted for violating laws ensuring accessibility to life-saving health care. Health care should be as it has always been, in the best interest for preserving life, not for profit.