Trump’s Medicaid cuts are coming for rural Americans: ‘It’s going to have to hit them first’

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Rural MAGA rubes

When Hurricane Helene drowned western North Carolina in muck and floodwater last year, it caught folks off-guard.

Now, local leaders in places like Asheville expect the Republican-led reconciliation bill – called the “big, beautiful bill” by Donald Trump – to bear down on rural America. And they wonder whether people are missing the warning signs.

“It’s going to have to hit them first,” said Laurie Stradley, CEO of Impact Health in Asheville, a Medicaid-funded non-profit providing social services to some people still digging out from the flood.

Medicaid is the single largest health insurance program in the US. The public program covers 71 million low-income, disabled and elderly US residents. It pays for half of all US births and the care of six in 10 nursing home residents.

Trump’s Medicaid cuts are coming for rural Americans: ‘It’s going to have to hit them first’

Experts worry the tax-and-spending bill will gut healthcare and hospitals, especially in states like North Carolina

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Sanders points to Nebraska medical center closure after GOP bill passes: ‘Dark day for rural America’​

“While Republicans celebrate the passage of the largest Medicaid cut in history, the Curtis Medical Center in Nebraska announced it will shut down as a result of these horrific cuts — the first of many hospitals to close,” Sanders wrote in a Thursday statement on the social platform X.

“This is a dark day for rural America and for our country,” he added.

Sanders points to Nebraska medical center closure after GOP bill passes: ‘Dark day for rural America’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the Thursday passage of the GOP’s spending bill symbolizes a “dark day for rural America,” citing cuts to federal funding for medical centers and hospitals in rural and more remote areas. “While Republicans celebrate the passage of the largest Medicaid cut in...

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“Unfortunately, the current financial environment, driven by anticipated federal budget cuts to Medicaid, has made it impossible for us to continue operating all of our services, many of which have faced significant financial challenges for years,” Troy Bruntz, president and CEO of Community Hospital, said in a news release, according to Nebraska Public Media.

Six of the state’s hospitals could be forced to close due to provisions in the “big, beautiful bill.”

 

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Michigan rural hospitals at risk under Trump’s ‘beautiful’ bill​

As a Republican and Christian minister in one of the most conservative corners of Michigan, JJ Hodshire’s opinion of President Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill" may surprise some onlookers.

His perspective is informed by his day job as CEO of Hillsdale Hospital.

“This is going to hurt lives in this country — not just in Michigan, but in rural hospitals across the country,” said Hodshire, who also hosts a podcast on rural health issues.

Michigan rural hospitals at risk under Trump’s ‘beautiful’ bill, experts say | Bridge Michigan

The ‘big, beautiful bill’ could spell big trouble for Michigan hospitals, according to experts, who say rural facilities could be forced to scale back services or even close because of Medicaid cuts.

www.bridgemi.com

 

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Over 700 rural hospitals across the United States are at risk of closing due to significant financial problems, with over 300 facing "immediate risk" of closure within three years. States with the highest number of at-risk rural hospitals include Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Mississippi, and North Carolina, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR).