© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

When private equity came for two rural Missouri hospitals

Kansas City residents rally for abortion rights following the fall of Roe v. Wade. Plus, the story of two shuttered Missouri hospitals may well serve as a warning for what happens when private companies acquire rural hospitals.

We bring you reactions from across Kansas City following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court Friday.

Plus, private equity investors, with their focus on buying cheap and reaping quick returns, are moving voraciously into the U.S. health care system. But these acquisitions can put vulnerable communities at the mercy of firms whose North Star is profit, rather than patient health.

Kaiser Health News correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble tells the story of two rural hospitals in Missouri that closed just years after being acquired by a Kansas City-based firm.

"With this particular hospital company, they didn't know what they were doing," Tribble said.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with Tribble about what happens when private equity comes for rural hospitals.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR onTwitter and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Trevor Grandin and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.