A billboard in Columbus, funded by the Democratic National Committee, reads “under Trump’s Watch, Columbus Regional Health is cutting medical services."
CRH has laid off about 50 people this year including doctors, according to a notice filed with the state.
The DNC’s billboard referencing the hospital has been up since late July. It’s one of several planted across the US by the political organization, advertising hospitals affected by recent state and federal Republican-led cuts to Medicaid.
Columbus Regional Health didn’t know about or sign-off on the billboard, according to a statement provided by Kelsey DeClue, a CRH public relations partner. The hospital was “unaware” of the sign prior to it going up.
The CRH statement confirmed that it has experienced financial hardships, caused by rising service costs and “flat at best, and in many instances decreasing” reimbursements.
State and national “legislative scrutiny” along with potential cuts to “vital governmental payer programs, like Medicaid” would have “catastrophic” consequences for Columbus Regional Health, it said. Columbus Regional Health serves a “seven to 10 county area in southeastern Indiana.”
President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law in July. It makes a 15 percent cut to Medicaid spending, according to KFF. The Indiana Legislature implemented its own work requirements for Medicaid this year.
The National Rural Health Association said the reduction in funding means higher rates of uninsured people who will “go without care and end up in the emergency room or inpatient facility, resulting in uncompensated care that they will not be able to pay.”
Though the Columbus hospital didn’t greenlight the DNC’s billboard, it did release a statement in June before it went up. It announced plans to close two of its practices: Inpatient Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine and Orthopedics.
The hospital said it could not longer operate either “cost effectively.”
The hospital’s Inpatient Rehabilitation “specialized” in care for “people recovering from strokes, amputations, brain and spinal cord injuries, orthopedic procedures and other debilitating conditions,” according to the hospital’s webpage.
Upon inpatient’s closure, CRH said it is “committed” to helping patients access the care “with a close-by facility.”
The sports medicine and orthopedics practice provided services like spinal and hand surgeries, joint replacements, and sports rehab. The hospital said this type of care is “readily available” with nearby providers.
