"Healthcare at Risk: The Impending Impact of America's Mining Boom"
Originally Published 2 years ago — by POLITICO
The decline of the coal industry and the boom in mining communities have disrupted and distorted the local health care systems, creating challenges for residents to access care and worsening health outcomes. Mining companies offer good jobs with robust health insurance plans, which can lead to a dependence on those plans for local health care infrastructure. This dependence creates market dynamics that make it difficult for those without mine insurance to receive basic care. As the demand for resources like copper, lithium, and cobalt increases for green energy production, more mining communities will likely face similar challenges. The reliance on employer-based health insurance and inadequate solutions have failed to address the systemic failures of health care in these communities.