SE Oakland News

Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt has called on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to use federal funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by former President Donald Trump, to support rural hospitals in Michigan. In a letter sent Wednesday to MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel, Nesbitt emphasized the importance of these funds for stabilizing and improving rural health care facilities.

Nesbitt noted that rural hospitals are essential for both health care access and economic stability in small communities across Michigan. He said these hospitals face challenges such as excessive regulation, workforce shortages, increasing costs, outdated infrastructure, and insufficient government reimbursement.

“Rural hospitals are vital to the health and economic well-being of small communities across our state, yet they continue to be burdened by overregulation, workforce shortages, rising costs, outdated infrastructure and ineffective government reimbursement,” said Nesbitt. “We cannot afford to leave this transformative funding on the table because of petty things like personal politics over names on bills. The people of Michigan deserve leaders to work on their behalf for the prosperity of our state.”

He described the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding as a significant opportunity for improvement. In his letter to Hertel, Nesbitt stated: “A community without a hospital creates areas of our state that are not set up to thrive; it loses both access to care and its ability to attract families, businesses and future investment. I stand ready to assist the Department of Health and Human Services in completing their application to maximize Michigan’s share of rural health funding.”

Nesbitt encouraged collaboration between state leaders regardless of political differences so that eligible federal resources are secured for Michigan’s rural health systems.