POINT | Beware of Congress's rural hospital slush fund

Guest column Sally C. Pipes

Congress has handed hospital giants a new line of taxpayer-funded credit. This summer, Congress included a $50 billion “rural health fund” in the multi trillion-dollar One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The fund’s supporters are touting it as a lifeline for struggling community hospitals. But small-town emergency rooms will not be the primary beneficiaries. Instead, politically connected hospital systems that know how to game federal programs will clean up.

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