The big, ugly bill means death to rural hospitals

Republican lawmakers are going all out to pass a bill that will slash Medicaid. This is life-threatening news for patients who rely on rural hospitals across America for care. That includes those in my district who depend on Carlsbad Medical Center, Socorro General Hospital and Mimbres Memorial Hospital — all of which stand to suffer most if this bill is allowed to pass.

In New Mexico, our health care system is hanging on by a thread. I’ve seen firsthand how in our rural communities, one bad week, month or year can push many of our hospitals to the financial brink. And when a small-town hospital closes, the surrounding community struggles to survive.

Expectant mothers in Hatch will go without critical prenatal support, grandparents in Silver City will lose access to long-term care, and kids in Hobbs will need to travel farther for emergency surgeries.

We can’t let Republicans in Congress do this to our communities. When Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans recently passed a bill that would cut Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars, I refused to stay silent. And as Senate Republicans rush to save this big, ugly bill, I will keep fighting, forcing them to think about how they are trading the lives of my constituents for tax cuts for their billionaire friends.

In my district alone, nearly 40,000 people would lose their Medicaid coverage if this bill passes. These cuts fall hardest on the people who need help the most, forcing farmworkers in Deming to choose between groceries and going to the doctor.

At least five hospitals that serve my constituents, including Carlsbad Medical Center, Socorro General Hospital, Mimbres Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital and Lincoln County Medical Center, are at risk of having to reduce services or close their doors completely. That’s not just a loss of care — it’s a loss of jobs and a blow to public health.

The negative ripple effects of Medicaid cuts will hit urban areas, too. When rural communities lose access to care, those that are able to will travel to cities nearby, stretching urban health care systems’ resources even further. And public health crises — like the measles outbreak impacting Lea County and other parts of my district — don’t respect rural vs. urban divides. When a measles patient in Carlsbad can’t get treated close to home, that doesn’t just harm them and their family. It puts even more New Mexicans at risk.

I recently visited Socorro General Hospital, where I learned 90% of patients using their maternity care services are Medicaid patients. If we strip Socorro General Hospital patients of their Medicaid benefits, we will quite literally be shortchanging future generations of New Mexicans.

I’ve heard the excuses, and they’re all bogus. How does a bill about fiscal responsibility add trillions to our debt? How does a bill about the working class take food off the table for working families? How does a bill so beautiful strip health care away from millions of moms, veterans and children? The answer — it doesn’t. It is all a ruse to pad the pockets of billionaires on the backs of grocery store clerks, bus drivers, receptionists and thousands of other hardworking, proud New Mexicans.

There is nothing responsible about balancing the budget on the backs of the poor, the sick and the rural. New Mexicans didn’t ask for this, and we damn sure don’t deserve it.

Our communities are already working with less: fewer doctors, fewer hospitals, longer drives for basic care. Medicaid helps hold those fragile systems together. Without it, we don’t just lose coverage — we lose care, we lose access, we lose lives.

I’ll say it plainly: I will not let this bill move forward without a fight. Neither should you.