Declining access to maternity health care in Arkansas could be worsened by Medicaid cuts
By Kameron Macrorie
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ROGERS, Ark. (KHBS , KHOG) — Access to maternity health care has reached an extreme low in multiple counties across Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley, according to a study by maternal care-focused nonprofit March of Dimes.
Arkansas leaders are warning that looming cuts to Medicaid could make this issue worse.
A 2024 report by March of Dimes found that more than 2 million women of childbearing age in the U.S. live in ‘maternity care deserts,’ or areas without hospitals that offer obstetric and labor and delivery services.
Here at home, Arkansas is among the states with the highest percentage of maternity care deserts, with more than 45% of Arkansas counties falling under that definition.
In Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley, that includes Madison, Logan and Scott counties.
According to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, there are currently 33 hospitals around the state with labor and delivery units. Since 2019, seven hospitals have closed their labor and delivery units due to financial or staffing issues.
“Arkansas continues to face serious challenges when it comes to maternity care,” said Jennifer Wessel, interim director for the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. “Especially in rural areas, they may not experience as many deliveries, but they’re still having to keep their labor and delivery services open, so hospitals can’t offset the cost somewhere else. Oftentimes, these labor and delivery units are the first to close.”
She said that women in counties without birthing hospitals have to drive much farther for maternity care, increasing the risk of complications for them and their baby.
Medicaid cuts are on the horizon as part of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed this summer, and Arkansas lawmakers say they could threaten rural health care.
40/29 News spoke to lawmakers on both sides about these cuts. While they disagree about how Medicaid dollars are currently used, they agree it’s a tough road ahead when they’re taken away.
“If we don’t have Medicaid coverage for these moms, those providers can’t make their business work,” said Arkansas State Representative and House Minority Leader Andrew Collins. “In a lot of places, you’ve seen closures of rural hospitals or providers.”
“We have got to start back as a state, looking at every dollar that is spent, knowing that we have to have the flexibility to meet needs or challenges that may come up from federal cuts,” said Arkansas State Sen. Bryan King.
He said cuts to Medicaid are inevitable due to “governmental dysfunction,” but Collins says Medicaid abuse is a minor issue.
“I think that we should undo a lot of the things that we have done in this Big Beautiful Bill,” Collins said. “There is some bipartisan agreement about the value of enhanced [Medicaid] subsidies. If we extend those, you won’t see these huge increases in premiums.”
The federal government remains shut down as Democratic lawmakers insist changes to healthcare funding is addressed. Republicans say these negotiations can happen after the government is reopened.
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