The Montana Nurses Association said the failure to extend subsidies through the Affordable Care Act and protect funding for Medicaid in the federal shutdown will have “devastating consequences” for families and communities in the state.

“When the government shuts down, Montana suffers,” said Vicky Byrd, CEO of the Montana Nurses Association, in a statement. “Our nurses and healthcare providers are already stretched thin.

“This shutdown will make it harder to deliver care, to access care, to keep rural hospitals and clinics open, and to ensure patients get the treatment they deserve and need.”

Early Wednesday, the federal government started shutting down after the U.S. Senate failed to advance short-term funding measures before midnight. An estimated 750,000 federal workers could be furl

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