“Now, the Obama administration, saying that some rural hospitals have been receiving subsidies they weren’t meant to get, has proposed eliminating a further $2.1 billion in Medicare payments next fiscal year for hospitals designated as providing “crucial access.”

In addition, under the new federal health law, hospitals are losing government subsidies for providing care to the uninsured. The law envisioned that those who couldn’t afford insurance would be covered by an expansion of Medicaid, but two dozen states, including North Carolina, opted not to do so.”