HAVERHILL, N.H. — Top officials at Cottage Hospital in Woodsville sat down with Rep. Maggie Goodlander to discuss the struggles facing rural health care.

Goodlander said New Hampshire is beginning to feel the effect of federal budget cuts made this summer.

“We’re seeing our big insurers pulling out of the state altogether. That happened last week for Medicare Advantage patients; we saw two major providers [leave], and one of them is critical to the North Country. And so, my concern is that we’re going to see premiums go through the roof,” she said.

Even though she is in-district because the House speaker sent Congress home, Goodlander said she hopes a deal can be reached in the Senate to reopen the government.

“We’re up against a big deadline on Friday with respect to many federal employees in this state who are at risk of not getting their paychecks. And next week, for most of our service members, the same is true, and this is not how it should be,” Goodlander said.

The White House has held firm, warning that more federal workers would be jettisoned if the shutdown continues. The next vote on reopening the government is scheduled for this evening.

“We hope that the vote will not fail, because this administration wants to reopen the government. We don’t want to see people laid off, but unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

As the political battles play out, rural hospitals are facing continued uncertainty.

“The problems that we are looking for is what happens when people are uncovered and they don’t have insurance, and then they don’t seek health care at that point in time. And those things compound themselves and increase in volume of people not getting the right care in the right place at the right time,” said Holly McCormack, Cottage Hospital CEO.

https://www.wmur.com/article/goodlander-cottage-hospital-rural-health-care/68859128