The Republican spending bill signed by Donald Trump last week is so brutal for rural health care that Curtis Medical Center in Curtis, Nebraska says it’s being forced to shut down after serving rural residents for 30 years. Local officials point to Trump’s struggling economy and the nearly $1 trillion in cuts celebrated by Republicans as reasons for the closure.
“While billionaires get rewarded massive tax breaks in the Republican spending bill, rural communities like Curtis, Nebraska, are stuck paying the price in the form of closed clinics, higher health care costs, and less access to the care they need,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “Approximately 20 percent of all Americans live in rural communities that rely on Medicaid funding to finance local health care services. The $155 billion cut to Medicaid spending will bleed those communities dry of good-paying jobs and absolutely devastate residents who rely on local options for care.”
According to analysis done by the KFF, over half the spending reductions in rural areas come from 12 states with significant rural populations that accepted the federal Medicaid expansion under the ACA. Each of those dozen states could see federal funding decline by $5 billion or more over the next decade.
Additionally, new reporting from Heartland Signal reveals the deep Medicaid cuts signed into law by Donald Trump threaten the viability of critical access hospitals in rural areas that heavily rely on federal funding to stay open. CAHs were essential in treating victims of the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, when a shooter killed 21 people and injured 17 others.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, nearly 12 million Americans will lose their health care coverage due to the Republican agenda. In total, when all of the Republican changes to health care policy are realized, the number of Americans without health insurance is expected to increase to about 17 million.
Published: Jul 7, 2025 | Last Modified: Jul 9, 2025