Local U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Illinois) is warning of rural hospital closures, including in Aledo, if President Donald Trump’s tax and spending plan is signed.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” cleared the Senate after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote on Tuesday.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the plan would cut federal spending on Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplaces by around $1 trillion over the next ten years, leading to an estimated 17 million Americans losing health insurance by 2034.
Sorensen says that would harm the finances of rural hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers, which would have to absorb most of the cost of treating uninsured people and may force them to reduce services and employees, as well as close facilities. He mentioned Aledo specifically during a press conference on Wednesday.
The White House has disputed these claims. The bill is back in the House after tweaks in the Senate.
Sorensen’s district includes the eastern portion of Mercer County.