Minnesota Senator Tina Smith says the government shutdown is having a particular effect on rural communities. “We keep having the same vote over and over again, and nothing changes, which tells me that what needs to happen is we actually need to negotiate and come together.” Smith warned that if insurance premiums continue to climb, many farmers and rural residents could lose their coverage altogether. “What we worry about is that people will decide they just can’t afford it, and then they don’t have health insurance,” said Smith. “When you layer that on top of the big challenges to rural hospitals that are cutting back services because of cuts to Medicaid, you’ve got what I think is a rural healthcare crisis.”
