Study: Pregnant rural residents could have to drive farther for care with Medicaid cuts

What it is about

Who published it, and when

How it spread - 7 original reports

1. Fri, 11 September 2026

   1 report
   • kunr.org22:50first to report
     Study: Pregnant rural residents could have to drive farther for care with Medicaid cuts

     That’s especially true in the Mountain West. In most states, if one delivery unit shuts down, the next closest one is more than an hour away.

2. Thu, 17 September 2026

   1 report
   • kcur.org09:00
     As Missouri loses maternity wards, rural families face longer drives and riskier births

     In some rural Missouri counties, patients travel more than an hour to reach a delivery hospital. Doulas, mobile health programs and telehealth are trying to fill some of the gaps.

3. Mon, 28 September 2026

   1 report
   • El Pais English17:01
     Florida and Texas: The frontiers of reproductive health and abortion access in the US

     In both states, with large Latino and immigrant populations, maternal care deserts are expanding. The lack of specialists, economic barriers, and language obstacles limit access to essential care

4. Thu, 8 October 2026

   1 report
   • kgou.org09:00
     A rural Northwest Oklahoma hospital is bringing back maternity care. Can it survive healthcare cuts?

     Newman Memorial hopes the model it’s building can sustain access despite looming reductions to federal Medicaid spending signed into law last year alongside the dollars fueling its project.

5. Sun, 11 October 2026

   1 report
   • kcur.org09:00
     A Missouri hospital sale was meant to preserve care. Days later, labor and delivery got cut

     The closure comes as maternity care continues to disappear across rural Missouri. More than half of Missouri’s counties have no local labor and delivery services.

6. Mon, 19 October 2026

   1 report
   • wamc.org18:30
     BirthNet NY seeks to address maternal care gaps through greater access to midwives

     One in 3 counties in the United States do not have birthing facilities or obstetric clinics. That's according to a report by March of Dimes, a nonprofit that focuses on raising awareness about maternal health risks. WAMC's Sajina Shrestha spoke with Tisha Graham, the cofounder of BirthNet New York, about what these numbers mean for expecting parents in the Capital Region and New York State at large.

7. Tue, 20 October 2026

   1 report
   • ksut.org23:29
     Birth center deliveries have tripled in the last two decades, new report finds

     Midwife-run birth centers for low-risk patients are especially popular in some rural Western states.