When Adrianna Olvera had her first child on St. Patrick’s Day, she had to deliver her daughter at the University Medical Center (UMC) in Lubbock and not closer to home in Lamesa. When the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2014, not many would know of its impact on soon-to-be mothers living in rural areas. The act, aimed at curtailing the increasing costs of medical insurance, changed the ways hospitals are reim bursed by Medicare. The change resulted in many small hospitals, already struggling with limited financial support, no longer offering labor and delivery services. They cannot afford the costs of having an ...