Pictued (L-R): Dave Muhlbauer, hospital board member; CEO Shannon Black; Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, and Recovery Center Director, Taya Vonnahme, MSN, RN, ARNP, CADC.
Rob Sand, the current Iowa State Auditor and 2026 Iowa gubernatorial candidate, traveled to Carroll County over the weekend to speak with officials at Manning Regional Healthcare Center (MRHC) about the expected impact of President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill on rural providers. Provisions in the 1,000-plus-page budget legislation cut Medicaid funding by an estimated $1 trillion over the next 10 years and could increase the nation’s uninsured by as many as 11.8 million people, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Rural providers, such as MRHC, rely on payments from government-funded plans to operate, and Sand says it could lead to more rural hospital closures. Sand says, “Everywhere I go, I hear from Iowans about how sky-high medical costs are already breaking their banks. [Last] week, I held 14 town halls in three days across Northwest Iowa, and at nearly every stop I heard stories from Iowans about what Medicaid means for their families and for rural health care access.” During Sand’s visit on Saturday, he met with MRHC CEO Shannon Black to discuss the impact of the bill and toured the facility. MRHC is among the top 10 percent of rural hospitals by share of Medicaid patients. In response to public concerns about the facility’s fiscal health and future following “a recent politically driven report,” Black says, “That metric alone doesn’t tell the full story. MRHC is financially strong, well-managed, and not in danger of closing. We’ve long been proactive in monitoring healthcare policy changes, and we’ll continue to advocate for decisions that protect the patients and communities we serve.” Sand is currently considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for Iowa Governor in the November 2026 election.
