Hospitality House of Charlotte

When a Hospital Bed Isn’t Enough: Medicaid Cuts and the Crisis Few Are Talking About

When I think of healthcare, visions of caring community doctors, knowledgeable specialists, and expert medical teams come to mind. As a long-time Charlottean, I often take for granted the world-class care just a short drive away. But for hundreds of thousands of families across North and South Carolina, even accessing basic healthcare can be a challenge.

With Medicaid cuts on the horizon, the result could go far beyond lost coverage – entire communities may lose critical local hospitals and face reduced access to care from providers, all while navigating strict oversight.

Consider this:

• Over 600,000 North Carolinians are anticipated to lose Medicaid coverage if the federal match rate decreases to below 90 percent.
• North Carolina has lost a dozen hospitals in the past 20 years.
• Over the past 20 years, South Carolina has seen six hospitals close. Unlike many states, it has not expanded Medicaid, which often bolsters rural and small hospitals.
• In North Carolina and South Carolina combined, 17 hospitals are currently at risk of closure, with nine at immediate risk of closure within the next 2-3 years.

At Hospitality House of Charlotte, we’ve seen the ripple effects of hospital closures for years. When small-town hospitals and practices shut down, patients are suddenly forced to travel miles and hours to reach the nearest care. Families often delay care for a host of reasons, including an inability to take time off work, unreliable transportation for the journey, or the cost of care and lodging away from home. These delays often escalate care needs from urgent to true emergencies. With anticipated cuts, these burdens will likely grow, with hundreds of thousands of individuals losing critical insurance coverage.

Here’s what this means in real terms:

• Nonprofits, like Hospitality House of Charlotte, absorb the fallout. Last year, we provided more than 15,000 nights of lodging at low or no cost. We believe access to critical care should be available to all, and we refuse to let families sleep in cars or hotels they can’t afford just to access that care.
• Healthcare access without housing is hollow. Every extra mile adds stress, fatigue, and financial strain, eroding recovery before treatment even begins. When families can’t find care close to home, they must be able to find lodging near where care is available.
• Rural communities lose more than healthcare when hospitals close. Without hospitals or care providers, local economies suffer. Fewer jobs, lost income, and worsening health outcomes tear at already fragile communities.

As hospitals disappear and safety nets fray, Hospitality House stands in the gap. We can’t stop hospitals from closing, but we can ensure that hope doesn’t disappear along with them.

We know that healing requires more than medicine. It requires stability, a supportive community, and meaningful rest. That’s what we offer. When families arrive in Charlotte for critical care, navigating the city, juggling appointments, and finding lodging can be overwhelming and discouraging. Without it, many patients would be unable to access the life-saving healthcare they need, and family members would be unable to remain close to their loved ones.

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in communities strengthened with hope.