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Communities in rural Pennsylvania continue to face obstacles to receiving healthcare as new Medicaid and Medicare requirements may soon disproportionately affect residents.
Advocates and nonprofits are working to keep these healthcare services accessible.
Northwestern Pennsylvania has historically faced healthcare challenges for years, and is home to the phenomenon dubbed the "maternity desert." Larger than Connecticut, this desert is composed of eight counties which lack access to hospitals with delivery services or maternity providers.
"We are really seeing challenges with OBGYN services," said Lisa Davis, the director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health. "We have a number of hospitals that have discontinued labor and delivery across the state."
Davis noted that the "concentration" of these reductions and difficulties are occurring in the northwestern part of the state.
Maternity care, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.
"It's very difficult for many people to access a hospital," said Sen. Judy Schwank, the top Democrat in the Agricultural and Rural Affairs committee. "We're working on the bare minimum in terms of accessibility to the maximum amount of population."
According to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the rural communities have only one primary care physician for every 1,395 residents, compared to urban metrics which are closer to 788 for each physician.
This means many Pennsylvanians are forced to make lengthy car trips to get the care they need.
Davis, however, fears pricier gas bills may soon be the least of their concerns.
"Rural hospitals tend to have higher numbers of Medicare and Medicaid patients," she said.
Davis predicted that many rural residents will lose their insurance coverage when the Big Beautiful Bill's new working requirements come into effect Jan. 1, 2027. While these new requirements are meant to save money, she sees a flaw in the bill's logic.
"Just because you don't have insurance doesn't mean you don't get sick," Davis said. "Every study has shown that those who are uninsured delay care and when they do access care they have more exacerbated conditions which then becomes more expensive to treat."
These exacerbated conditions will greatly cost all nonprofit hospitals, as they are required to provide care regardless of an uninsured individual's ability to pay, Davis noted. With many hospitals already redlining, they will likely depend on increased government funding to foot the bill.
Sarah Worthington heads a healthcare nonprofit called Prince of Peace Center in northwest Pennsylvania and has already experienced what it feels like to be waiting for government funding to provide the care her neighbors need.
"We knew funding was coming, but it was delayed," said Worthington. "It was held up in the state budget impasse this past year."
On top of delays in needed funding, the temporary closure last year of a critical hospital in the area near Sharon, made the future of her region's healthcare and social services shaky, Worthington recalled.
"We were preparing," she said. "Everybody was on pins and needles, waiting to see what the outcome was going to be."
While it has since reopened, Worthington noted that the center now only provides access to "very limited services."
So, instead of solely relying on government funding, Worthington finds resourceful ways to still provide for those in her community.
"I never want to tell somebody that we're out of money and can't help them," she said. "So, we try to be creative and find other ways to fundraise and bring in the dollars here to be able to support our community in need."
Launched in May of this year, Walking with Moms in Need is Prince of Peace's newest program, which aims to provide care for both pregnant and young mothers. Filling a gap created by the closure of two other similar social services in the area, the program is now successfully providing 40 mothers with needed transportation, maternity products, and housing every month.
While Davis still holds concerns for the future of rural healthcare and healthcare coverage, she has faith that these Pennsylvania communities will pull through.
"Rural communities and rural residents tend to be able to identify ways in which they create opportunities and they create successes in their communities," Davis said. "Regardless of any sort of support that comes from external sources."