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Tag: Bill

  • Rural Nebraska Hospital Shuts Down Over ‘Anticipated Cuts to Medicaid’ Hours Before ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Passes

    Rural Nebraska Hospital Shuts Down Over ‘Anticipated Cuts to Medicaid’ Hours Before ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Passes

    A small town clinic in southwest Nebraska will close its doors after more than three decades, citing financial strain and looming federal cuts to Medicaid.

    Community Hospital in McCook announced Wednesday that it will be shutting down the Curtis Medical Center in Curtis — a community of roughly 900 residents. The announcement, reported by KLKN-TV, came just before Congress passed President Donald Trump’s sweeping “Big Beautiful Bill” on Thursday.

    “Unfortunately, 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,” Community Hospital CEO Troy Bruntz said in a statement obtained by the outlet.

    The clinic, whose motto is, “Advanced care. Always there,” will phase out operations over the coming months.


    Despite representing Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke out about the hospital’s closure, warning that it will likely be “the first of many” due to the estimated Medicaid cuts included in the tax and spending bill.

    “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,” Sanders said.

    “This is a dark day for rural America and for our country,” he continued.

    The Nebraska Hospital Association and other rural health advocates have sounded alarms about the bill’s potential impact, warning it could force more clinics and hospitals in underserved areas to cut services or close.

    Originally published on Latin Times



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  • ‘What Do Y’all Mean a Bill in the Mail?’

    ‘What Do Y’all Mean a Bill in the Mail?’

    An Australian TikToker was shocked to hear that the bills from his American hospital experience were only the beginning after originally posting a video saying it was “not as bad” as he expected.

    In the TikToker’s original video posted Monday, the man explained that he recently broke his wrist. After hearing about the American healthcare system and its notoriously expensive costs, the TikToker said he had prepared for the worst.

    “It’s not as bad as I expected. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible,” he said. “I thought I’d be in the hole for thousands of dollars after breaking my wrist … I spent $250 on the urgent care visit and the initial x-ray for my hand.”



    The TikToker went on to say that they were billed another $350 after visiting a hand specialist, meaning he paid about $600 total. While he explained that in Australia something like this might have been free or cost “maybe $40,” he expressed that this experience was “not terrible.”

    However, as the TikToker’s video picked up traction online, dozens of American users took to his comment section to warn him that another bill was likely headed his way.

    “I am so sorry for the shock you are going to receive in the mail,” one user laughed. “I knew there was a misunderstanding immediately,” one user commented.

    “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m [going to] hold your hand when I say this… that not the full cost, the bill is coming,” another user wrote.

    The TikToker, whose video has since reached more than 690,000 views, was stunned by the comments. “What do y’all mean a bill in the mail,” he wrote in a comment.

    Although the TikToker has not received the full bill, he was dismayed to learn that his initial estimates of having to pay “thousands of dollars” for his treatment was likely accurate based on the comments from users.



    “So you’re telling me, that in America, you can get hit by a car, go to hospital, you have insurance but you get like a $50,000 bill and you’ll actually have to pay that $50,000 bill?” the man said in a followup video Wednesday. “That’s insane. Why don’t you guys riot more often?”

    While the cost of healthcare in the United States may partially be attributed to the aging population, the advancements in technology and inflation, healthcare also remains more expensive in the U.S. compared to its peers because it largely views healthcare coverage as voluntary, according to a May 2024 report by KFF.

    Compared to similar countries, the U.S. does not do as much negotiating to reduce the price of medications. The country also does not have a main healthcare coverage format, as coverage styles vary between public and private.

    Originally published on Latin Times



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  • Republican Anti-Abortion Bill May Block Access to Chemotherapy, Life-Saving Surgeries in Wyoming: Report

    Republican Anti-Abortion Bill May Block Access to Chemotherapy, Life-Saving Surgeries in Wyoming: Report

    A Republican-led bill seeking to challenge abortion access may also block access to chemotherapy and life-saving surgeries in Wyoming, according to a report.

    According to the bill, Senate File 125, “No act, treatment or procedure that causes harm to the heart, respiratory system, central nervous system, brain, skeletal system, jointed or muscled appendages or organ function shall be construed as healthcare.”

    Although the bill is intended to target the concept of fetal personhood, healthcare and law professionals are worried that various other procedures and treatments, such as chemotherapy, could be affected by the bill.

    “There’s a slew of medical procedures, surgeries, treatments that can have potentially positive outcomes but may also cause harm in the short period or as an unintended consequence,” Wyoming attorney Abigail Fournier told the The Guardian.

    An amendment to Wyoming’s state constitution in 2012 stated that making healthcare decisions was a right of individuals in the state. Senate File 125 is the first of its kind trying to change the definition of healthcare.

    While Cheri Steinmetz, the Republican state senator who authored the bill, told The Guardian that she was not trying to change the constitution, just the definition used, Wyoming attorney Clark Stith said that they believe changing the meaning could still constitute changing the constitution.

    Wyoming’s abortion ban was struck down by a judge in November 2024. At the time, women and organizations had argued that the ban violated the 2012 amendment, and that it also infringed upon their rights, NPR reported at the time.

    As the state appeals this ruling, state representatives have also created bills seeking to restrict abortion access, such as requiring a trans-vaginal ultrasound before patients can receive abortion medication, as reported by WyoFile.

    At least two abortion-related House bills have passed the House since the abortion ban was struck down. A third one is set to be debated on in the coming weeks.

    Originally published by Latin Times.

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  • Celebrating Veterans Day with Bill Muir

    Celebrating Veterans Day with Bill Muir

    We had the pleasure of talking with Bill Muir about his work in the military and as a Registered Nurse, food access, his book, and Veterans Day. We hope you enjoy this interview.

     

    Thank you for your service. We are grateful for the opportunity to interview you. Please tell us about yourself and your background. Why did you decide to join the military, and when did you enlist?

    Thank you very much! Hi, everyone. I’m Bill Muir, aka SGT VEGAN. I’m a combat veteran, RN, and 32-year vegan. I joined the U.S. Army after 9/11 to serve my country in its time of need. I had been living in Japan for about eight years at the time the attack happened, and, as an expat, it affected me very deeply. I joined the military because I thought I would be able to make a difference and help save lives, both American and Afghan, if I joined during war.

    What branch of the military were you in? What was your job? Where did you serve?

    I was a U.S. Army Paratrooper and served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade as a combat medic. I did a tour in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006.

    What was your experience like eating a plant-based diet while serving? Did you experience particular challenges with food access? If so, how did you overcome them?

    Being vegan in the military really depends on where you are and what you are doing. Basic training was completely awful––not because training was hard, but because I was starving all the time. After bootcamp, things got better and I put the weight back on. Being stationed in Italy with the 173rd was amazing! I actually got kind of fat despite all the running I was doing, because I was eating vegan pasta, vegan pizza, and vegan gelato every day. When I deployed, I was very worried I would go back to starvation mode, but, luckily, I found a website called anysoldier.com that sends deployed service people what they need. I’ve heard conditions for people on plant-based diets have gotten better, but until there are designated vegan MRES (field rations) and plant-based options in all military cafeterias, it will be difficult to be plant-based in the military.

    Why was it important to you to remain plant-based during your military career?

    To me, being vegan meant living my ethics. I think remaining true to something I believe in while in the military, especially while in a warzone, was also about my attempt to hold on to my identity.

    How did your time in the military shape who you are today? Is there anything in particular about your service that you would like to share?

    No matter who you are, being in the military will change you almost down to a cellular level. I know that’s a popular trope in every movie and TV show featuring the military, but somehow I wasn’t expecting that would include me as well.

    After your military service, you earned a certificate in Vegan Culinary Arts from Atlantic Union College. In your opinion, how can education about preparing whole plant foods be a path forward for people to achieve better health?

    It can be huge, but people have to want to change. A vast majority of my patients have checked out and given up on trying to be healthy. I’m just trying to do the best I can to keep them from falling or dying on my shift. There is still a lot of anti-vegan propaganda in the United States, and, unfortunately, a lot of veterans still believe that somehow eating dead animals makes you more masculine.

    After you transitioned out of the military, you became a Registered Nurse. What has your experience been like working in the medical field and what area of nursing is your specialty?

    Working for Veterans Affairs (VA) as an RN has been both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, I feel lucky to be able to help my fellow veterans in their time of need, in much the same way as I joined the military in a time of war. On the other hand, working with sick and dying people takes its toll on you both physically and mentally. All in all, I feel lucky to have a job doing something that matters, but sometimes I wish I had chosen an easier profession.

    Do you still work for a VA hospital? Have you seen conditions that could be preventable with healthy lifestyle interventions, like whole food, plant-based eating?

    I work on a VA Medical/Surgical floor that has heart monitors. The vast majority of cardiac issues are lifestyle-related, meaning the patients’ hearts aren’t working the way they should because of unhealthy diets, smoking, drinking, or drugs. While we can’t live forever, we can live better, longer, if we just make simple lifestyle adjustments. The top three? Go vegan, exercise daily, and don’t smoke.

    Please tell us about your book Vegan Strong. What inspired you to write it?

    After I went to culinary school, I planned to open a restaurant. Unfortunately, my timing wasn’t great. It was 2008 and the economy was on the rocks, so I shelved that dream and made the practical choice to become a Registered Nurse. I didn’t know what I was going to do with all of my knowledge of plant-based health and plant-based living until, one day, I had an idea. I would write a book about how to be healthy and vegan, but style it like an Army Field Manual. 

    Lastly, what does Veterans Day mean to you? Is there anything you would like to share with your fellow veterans?

    Veterans Day is our day, so as a veteran, if you want it to be about getting some free meals, go for it. If you want it to be about meaningful reflection, that’s cool, too. We are around 6 percent of the population, and if you served during wartime, that number is even smaller. Eat right, take care of yourself, and if you need help, the VA is always there for you. GO VEGAN AND STAY VEGAN STRONG!

    For more information about my work and latest updates, visit my website and follow me on social media at IG @sgt_vegan, and Facebook.



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