As the U.S. Senate debates the sweeping legislation known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” it’s worth asking a critical question: who really pays the price for political ambition? For rural communities like ours in San Benito County, the answer may hit closer to home than most realize.
Regardless of party affiliation, one thing is universally true—when you or your loved one needs urgent medical care, access to a local hospital can be the difference between life and death. But if this bill passes as written, that access could be jeopardized.
At Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, nearly 75% of our patients are covered by Medicare or Medicaid. That’s not unusual for a rural hospital—it’s reality. This proposed legislation makes deep, structural cuts to Medicaid, which won’t just squeeze reimbursement rates.
The legislation will send shockwaves through every financial pillar hospitals like ours rely on: critical access funding, rural health subsidies, skilled nursing reimbursements and more. These are the resources that allow us to keep our emergency rooms open, our nurses staffed and to care for our most vulnerable patients.
These cuts represent real numbers. They’re lifelines. And when those lifelines are slashed, small hospitals like Hazel Hawkins—already stretched by the pandemic, inflation and wage pressures—are pushed even closer to the brink.
To be clear, we are not helpless. Hazel Hawkins is actively pursuing a partnership that will provide stability and a pathway to sustainability and future growth. But even the most promising future can be undone by shortsighted policy. This bill, if passed in its current form, will threaten not just the progress we’ve made, but our future. The very viability of rural healthcare across the state and the nation is at risk.
Some may dismiss this legislation as just another round of D.C. brinkmanship. But here in San Benito County, the stakes are real. This bill isn’t just a headline—it could mean fewer doctors, longer wait times or even closures of service lines or facilities. It could mean a community without the care it deserves and has come to rely upon.
The bill will soon return to the House for a second vote after the Senate proposes changes. That gives our representatives a second chance—not just to vote differently, but to vote wisely. To put communities over politics. To protect the hospitals and health systems that serve as the backbone of rural America.
The health of our community is on the line. Let’s hope Congress remembers who they’re fighting for.
Mary Casillas
CEO, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
