Several rural hospitals in Texas are reporting that they may have to close altogether if the mandates are enforced, as up to 30% of their staff are unvaccinated.

Not only are hospitals at risk of losing employees if they enforce the mandates, but they are also at risk of losing Medicare and Medicaid funding if they don't. Some of the hospitals receive as much as 80-85% of their funding from Medicare and Medicaid. So either way you look at it hospitals are in trouble and at risk of closing -- either by losing their staff or losing their funding.

Larry Gray, CEO of Seminole Hospital District in West Texas told KCBD:

"Well it would be devastating for the community, frankly. We have a large percentage of our revenue that comes from Medicare, Medicaid and those kinds of products."

Gray went on to explain his opposition to the mandates, saying:

"I think the mandate is just a terrible message because if the vaccinations are working, why do you have to mandate people to get the vaccines? What happens to individual choice and medical decisions between the patient and their doctor, which is all of the things that we're trying to support?"

The Texas Tribune reported in April that more than 150 employees quit or were fired after Houston Methodist Hospital became one of the first hospitals to impose a vaccine mandate. While cities like Houston can afford to lose a few (dozen) employees, rural hospitals won't be able to survive the exodus.

Over the weekend we learned that one hospital in New York had to close its maternity unit after several staff members resigned due to the vaccine mandates, and it looks like this could become a more widespread problem.

Thanks Joe Biden.