Earlier Lifeline for Rural Hospitals Faces Test Under ‘Big Beautiful’ Law

A century-old hospital in Sturgis near Michigan’s southern border closed three years after converting to a federal emergency-focused model. Hospital leaders fear this failure could be an early warning sign that the new rural care model will not withstand anticipated federal funding losses, particularly those from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Federal efforts to support rural hospitals are complicated by expected reductions in Medicaid funding.