Winsome Earle-Sears: “The bill as you know now does so many great things” 

VIRGINIA – Following the announcement that three health clinics – including urgent care and primary care locations – in rural Virginia are closing as a result of the Trump tax bill that Winsome Earle-Sears backed, Sears has been silent and refused to comment on the closures. 
 
“Winsome Earle-Sears cheered on Trump’s tax bill, but now that it’s leading to the closure of three rural health clinics, she is silent. Sears must explain to Virginians why she’s backing health clinics closing and healthcare being taken away,” said DPVA Spokesperson Maggie Amjad.
 
What Virginians Are Reading: 
 
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Three Va. health clinics close as Trump tax law squeezes system

• When President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law July 4 in the White House Rose Garden, he sealed the fate of three health care clinics in the rural Shenandoah Valley.
• [...] the massive tax-cut package — partly paid for with cuts to Medicaid and its reimbursements to health care providers — “made our decision very clear,” said Mary Mannix, president and CEO of Augusta Health and a member of the physician organization’s board of directors.
• The first changes became public Thursday in Augusta’s announcement it is closing primary care clinics in Churchville and Buena Vista, and an urgent care center in Weyers Cave, as the nonprofit health system faces an estimated $40 million loss in operating revenue when the law is fully implemented in 2027.
• “You take the physician away, you reduce access,” said Dr. Whit Morriss, a retired anesthesiologist and former member of the Augusta Health and medical group boards who lives outside of Churchville. “Access is kind of key.”
• Former Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, who led the effort to expand Virginia’s Medicaid program at the beginning of 2019, fears that many people will lose access because of new barriers to enrollment in Medicaid and higher premiums for health insurance they purchase from a state-run marketplace under the Affordable Care Act.
• Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources, said, “Transportation is a major concern for health care in rural areas. This is going to put health care out of reach in many respects.”

Virginia Mercury: Augusta Health closes three clinics, citing One Big Beautiful Bill Act

• Augusta Medical Group is closing an urgent care clinic and two primary care clinics in response to the massive reconciliation bill Congress passed this summer. The move will force Shenandoah Valley residents to travel further for their primary and emergency health care needs.
• First reported by WHSV3, and according to a press release from Augusta Medical Group, Augusta Medical Group’s decision is part of the “ongoing response” to the OBBA and “the resulting realities for healthcare delivery.” 
• Buena Vista patients have already been contacted and reassigned to either Augusta Health Maury River Family Practice or Augusta Primary Care in Lexington, each about 10 miles away. 
• Churchville patients are encouraged to go to Augusta Health Family Practice in Verona, also about 10 miles away.
• Weyers Cave patients will need to travel further to access other Augusta Health urgent care locations in Stuarts Draft, Staunton, Waynesboro, or Crozet.
• Most Republicans — including all of Virginia’s Republican congressional delegation — supported the President Donald Trump-backed bill, though some took issue with the health care portions of it. U.S.
• Augusta Health serves about 200,000 people in Shenandoah Valley to include Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro and surrounding areas across hospitals and clinics including the ones that are closing. The company is the largest local private employer in the area. According to its website, it employs over 2,000 people and has over 200 physicians. It’s unclear how many staff and medical professionals have been let go amid the closure of the three clinics.

WHSV: Augusta Medical Group to consolidate clinics, partly in response to ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

• Augusta Medical Group is consolidating three of its practices, located in Weyers Cave, Churchville and Buena Vista as part of an “ongoing commitment to delivering consistent, high-quality care while adapting to the evolving needs of the community,” according to a release.
• Kris Doan, president of Augusta Medical Group, said the decision to consolidate services was difficult but that it was necessary to maintain the hospital’s longevity.
• “These decisions are never easy, but demonstrate Augusta Health’s commitment to deploying innovative access strategies for addressing demand at the neighborhood level. They are necessary to ensure the future of Augusta Health and to provide the consistent, cost-effective care our communities deserve,” Doan said. “We remain focused on meeting the evolving needs of the Shenandoah Valley while keeping our patients at the center of everything we do.”

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