A rural clinic in Nebraska is shutting its doors after more than 30 years due to mounting financial pressures and looming federal funding cuts tied to Medicaid, ABC affiliate KLKN reported last Wednesday. According to the report, Troy Bruntz, president and CEO of the hospital, noted that while the clinic "has been a vital part of our mission to deliver quality healthcare close to home... 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." Do you believe that more rural medical centers (hospitals and clinics) will close due to the loss of funding in President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill Act" that is now a law?

Statewide advocacy groups have sharply criticized the Medicaid reductions tied to President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which the president signed into law on the 4th of July. Healthcare advocates fear that rural hospitals like this one could be forced to scale back services or even close when the new legislation's Medicaid cuts take effect after the elections during November, 2026. Republican legislators deliberately timed the Medicaid cuts to be after the election. Do you think that they are purposefully playing politics to save their jobs?

The news report from Nebraska led to a strong reaction on social media. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote on the social platform X last Thursday: "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. This is a dark day for rural America and for our country." Do you agree with Senator Sanders?

Democratic strategist Mari Manoogian wrote: "The devastation to rural healthcare from this horrible bill is something that people really aren't prepared for, I fear." The Lincoln Project's X account reacted to the news and said: "The first in a long list of rural hospitals closing due to Trump's bill. This hospital is in @RepDonBacon's district. He voted for Trump's bill this week, and he voted for this." Author Tom Dodke said: "@DonJBacon betrayed the people of his district." Does it sadden you to see what Republicans have done to their constituents and voters to give the wealthiest of all Americans a tax cut?