Over 150 rural hospitals closed between 2005 and 2019, and in 2022 an additional 600 are at risk of closing, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR). This number represents nearly 30% of all rural hospitals throughout the country, and would directly harm millions of people who would no longer have access to hospital care. CHQPR reports that these potential closures are the result of higher costs of care, lack of government support, and inadequate payouts from insurance.