Shaheen Visits Valley Regional Hospital as Continuation of Weeklong “Medicaid Impact Tour,” Underscores Consequences of Medicaid Cuts for Granite State Hospitals, Claremont Community

(Claremont, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited Valley Regional Hospital as part of her weeklong “Medicaid Impact Tour.” Shaheen met with hospital leadership, including CEO Matthew Foster, to learn more about the impact Republican-led cuts to Medicaid would have on the whole hospital system and the Claremont community. Shaheen also toured the hospital’s new workforce housing project that is currently under construction to improve access to affordable housing in the region. Photos from today’s event can be found here.

“Valley Regional Hospital is a vital resource for the more than 30% of Claremont residents who rely on Medicaid and the broader Sullivan County community,” said Senator Shaheen. “The truth is, if Trump and Republicans cut hundreds of billions of dollars of Medicaid funding, the only Americans who will benefit are the wealthiest who stand to get big tax cuts, and it’s communities like Claremont that would be hurt most when hospital systems can’t get reimbursed for the health care they provide.”

On Monday, Shaheen kicked off her “Medicaid Impact Tour” by hosting a roundtable on rural health care at Northern Human Services in Berlin, followed by a roundtable at the Partnership for Public Health yesterday in Laconia. Shaheen’s tour comes as Congressional Republicans, led by President Trump and Elon Musk, work to advance legislation that will pave the way for steep cuts to Medicaid funding and would impact millions of people across the country. Under the Republican proposal, more than 59,000 Granite Starters will be at risk of losing coverage including 7,600 patients that are currently receiving treatment for substance use disorders.  

Earlier this month, Shaheen and Democrats held the floor and offered dozens of amendments to push back against the Republican-led budget resolution that paves the way for tax breaks for the wealthiest while slashing programs like Medicaid to pay for it. The majority of Senate Republicans worked to block several amendments Shaheen offered that would have helped make health care more affordable and accessible. 

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