Sonia Bisaccia, MD | West Chester Family Physician

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is already raising serious concerns about access to maternity care.

The National Partnership for Women & Families tracked 32 labor-and-delivery unit closures between the law’s passage in July 2025 and April 2026. Its analysis also identified 131 rural hospitals at risk of closing or reducing maternity services over the next decade because of the law’s projected effects.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the law will reduce federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion over 10 years.

Labor and delivery and pediatric units can be among the services hospitals struggle to afford. They require specialized staff and equipment, and labor and delivery must be ready around the clock, even when patient volumes are low. When reimbursement doesn’t cover the cost of care, hospitals may cut these services. Medicaid funding cuts could add to that pressure, especially in rural and underserved communities.

And this isn’t just a prediction on paper. In Georgia, St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital specifically cited anticipated Medicaid cuts when announcing its labor-and-delivery closure.

Not every closure was caused by the bill, but there is documented evidence that hospitals are considering its financial impact.

Sources:
https://nationalpartnership.org/report/obbba-is-threatening-womens-health-care-access/

https://www.kff.org/medicaid/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-enacted-reconciliation-package/

https://www.ajc.com/politics/2025/09/medicaid-cuts-ahead-prompt-lavonia-hospital-to-shutter-childbirth-unit/