rural hospital closures

Medicare pays hospital-owned facilities more for the same service than it pays independent facilities. A proposal with broad support aims to end that practice, which can save money for patients. But rural hospitals say this can push them to cut services or close their doors.

In many rural towns, local hospitals are community fixtures. When they close, the entire community feels the ripple effects.

We asked you, our listeners and readers, to share your concerns with healthcare costs. And the results are in. Here are the questions we asked through the…

Update: This story was updated on March 23 to reflect that 10 hospitals have closed since 2014. It's a cold and windy January morning in Boonville, Mo.,…