Bridget Hebbard, Executive Operations Director at Michigan Democratic Party | Michigan Democratic Party
Bridget Hebbard, Executive Operations Director at Michigan Democratic Party | Michigan Democratic Party
With as many as 700,000 Michigan residents facing the loss of their health care coverage and several hospitals in rural areas struggling to remain open, recent statements by State Senator Aric Nesbitt have come under scrutiny. In a new opinion piece published in The Detroit News, Nesbitt claimed that “Trump’s leadership safeguards rural healthcare.”
However, reports indicate that hospitals across Michigan are experiencing significant challenges, particularly in rural communities. According to the CEO of Hillsdale Hospital, who is a Republican, Trump’s law “is going to hurt lives in this country — not just in Michigan, but in rural hospitals across the country.”
Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman responded: “Like a true snake oil salesman, Aric Nesbitt is lying to Michiganders. The reality is that this Nesbitt-backed law is threatening to kick more than 700,000 people off their Medicaid coverage and rural hospitals across the state are teetering on the brink of closure, all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Nesbitt cheered on this law’s passage and he voted against a state Senate resolution urging Congress not to pass it. As Michiganders lose their health care and hospitals across the state teeter on ruin, it’s because of extreme politicians like Aric Nesbitt.”
Recent reporting highlights several impacts from these changes:
- WCMU noted that Ontonagon hospital was forced to close due to financial instability. Another hospital in Sturgis was converted into a rural emergency facility without inpatient services or overnight stays. Aspirus Health also announced plans to end birth services at its Ironwood location.
- Michigan Public Radio reported that three Michigan hospitals could be at risk of closing if proposed Medicaid cuts move forward, with rural facilities especially vulnerable because they depend heavily on federal reimbursement programs.
- WDIV Detroit cited a report from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services estimating that over 700,000 residents could lose coverage if federal Medicaid cuts are implemented.
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