On Saturday, Mercy Hospital in Independence, Kansas, closed, following 18 months of discussions regarding the future of health care in the town of 9,200. Kansas Hospital Association spokeswoman Cindy Samuelson said Independence has some of the same struggles as other rural hospitals -- a declining population and trouble recruiting and retaining physicians -- but she also said the state’s unwillingness to expand Medicaid cost the hospital $1.6 million annually and played a role in the decision.
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