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The official newspaper of Cavalier County Theborderlandpress.com
In this issue:
Friday, August 15, 2025
Volume 4, Number 32
Will the ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT impact rural healthcare?
Or is there a bigger concern hidden in the shadows - LPH CEO discusses medication costs, lobbyists, and 340B bill By Hilary Nowatzki
News: Cavalier County 4-H shooting team competes in virtual league, State Tournament, Pg. A2
Agriculture: Producers are being encouraged to scout for poisonous spotted water hemlock, Pg. A3
Community: Join up with PNC for a special adventure this week, Pg. A5
On Independence Day of this year, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Since then, there has been abundant worry about the slashes being made to Medicaid. Some rural hospitals have been quite concerned about how the OBBBA will affect their operations, and some patients are worried about losing their healthcare. In states such as Kentucky and Alaska, nearly one-third of their populations rely on Medicaid for their healthcare, and the OBBBA could have a severely negative impact on these patients and their hospitals. However, according to Wayne Reid, CEO of Langdon Prairie Health, there isn’t much to be concerned about when it comes to this publication’s coverage area.
state will be affected by the OBBBA changes. When patients do lose coverage and they have to go to the hospital but cannot pay their bill, this leads to what is called “bad debt” that falls on other patients’ and the hospital’s shoulders to cover. Reid doesn’t expect to see a significant increase in these instances. Furthermore, numerous people within the Medicaid expansion group will not be affected by the new law either, including including pregnant women, people who are medically frail, tribal members, parents and caretakers with children under 14 years of age, recipients with substance-use disorders or mental health conditions that prevent them from working, and cancer patients, just to name a few.
“I was a little perplexed at why they were suddenly concerned about rural health, because we don't get an awful lot of attention,” said Reid. “I've tried to track what was happening in the bill and what I was seeing, and it appeared to me that the OBBBA wouldn't have a whole lot of impact on us.”
“I wasn't seeing the things in the bill that were alarming me,” said Reid. “But we don't have that much Medicaid anyway, and most of the places, most of the hospitals that have a lot of Medicaid, tend to be more urban not rural.”
Only 12% of N.D.’s population is currently on Medicaid, a striking contrast to states like Alaska and Kentucky, which rely heavily on the service. According to the N.D. Department of Health and Human Services, only 3%-5% of Medicaid recipients in the
Aside from the impacts of the OBBBA, Reid said the real danger right now is about something most people have never heard of. He believes the 340B drug program faces a bigger threat than Medicaid changes. This program
helps his hospital stay open by giving them reduced medicine prices. It was enacted by a pharmaceutical company in 1992, but now, over 30 years later, Reid has heard whispers of lobbyists who are trying to get rid of the program. According to Reid, back in 1992, the government wanted to control medicine costs. Drug companies made a deal - they could sell to Medicare and Medicaid without price limits. In return, they had to give discounts to hospitals that help underserved populations or are in rural areas. "The 340B program was designed to take hospitals that had either disproportionate shares of low income people or who were rural hospitals," Reid explained. "What it turned out to be was a discount and rebate program." As is often misunderstood, this program isn't funded by taxpayers. Drug companies pay for it themselves, but Reid feels many lawmakers don't understand this. "It is amazing to me, the number of them who think that the 340B is some sort of a boondoggle that is being paid for by the taxpayers, and it's not. It's fully funded by pharma," he said. The hospital's pharmacy director, Catherine Taylor, said the 340B pro-
gram brings in about a $100,000 rebate every month, and that's a lot of money for a small rural hospital. Langdon Prairie Health partners with Langdon Community Drug for the 340B program, which helps pay for outpatient as well as inpatient medications. "Without it, both entities would suffer," Taylor said, in regards to both the hospital and the pharmacy. "We don't have a lot of patients, so this is a way to basically have another income stream."
"We probably get more than three times the revenue from 340B than we're doing with Medicaid," said Reid. He also reported that only around 4% of the hospital’s patients are on Medicaid, far lower than the state average of 12%. "They have been looking at ways to back out of that deal for about 30 over 30 years," Reid said in regards to 340B. Taylor attended a conference where she learned how drug companies are fighting the program - one that she points out - they started in the first place. "The drug companies are so big, cont’d. on page A9
A Century-Old Classic turns 100
Celebrate the Pembina County Museum’s Historic Case car on Aug. 17 The Pembina County Historical Society invites the public to a very special birthday celebration as the Museum’s rare 1925 Case Model X Suburban Coupe turns 100 years old! Join us for cake, ice cream, and vintage fun on Sunday, Aug. 17, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the Pembina County Museum Grounds. The centerpiece of the event, a beautifully preserved Case car, has a fascinating story. It was originally owned by G.B. Gunlogson, a North Dakota native who left his family farm near Akra—now Icelandic State Park—for a summer job in Racine, Wisconsin. That summer job turned into a career with the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company, where Gunlogson rose to become head of the Case Motor Car
Division, which produced automobiles from 1910 to 1927, manufacturing just over 30,000 vehicles.
deserves to be celebrated among its peers! Rumor has it other century-old vehicles will be in attendance, and a prize will be awarded to the oldest vehicle on display.
This 1925 Model X Suburban Coupe with a 122-inch wheelbase and 52-horsepower Continental six-cylinder engine is believed to be one of only 139 Model X cars ever built—and the only known surviving example of its body style.
For further information, contact the museum at 701-265-4941 or pchsm@polarcomm.com, and follow Pembina County Museum on Facebook for updates.
Visitors can learn the full story of this historic vehicle, learn how it became part of the Pembina County Historical Society’s collection, and possibly even enjoy a ride in the car.
The Pembina County Museum, owned and operated by the Pembina County Historical Society, is located at 13572 Hwy 5, Cavalier, ND, and is open daily from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with tours available by appointment. The Museum’s mission is to preserve and share the rich history of Pembina County for future generations.
Car enthusiasts are encouraged to bring their vintage, antique, or classic car—after all, a 100-year-old car
Hoeven hosts CBP Commissioner Scott to leverage N.D.’s UAS leadership, partner with local law enforcement to secure border
Senator, Commissioner outline border security measures in One Big Beautiful Bill and meet with northern border businesses and community leaders EMERADO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven hosted U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott in North Dakota to review border operations throughout the Grand Forks sector and discuss opportunities to better leverage the region’s dynamic unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry. Hoeven highlighted the one-of-a-kind UAS ecosystem in N.D. that connects private sector partners with military and government to develop drone technologies and capabilities, including counter-drone research and development. Hoeven outlined funding secured in the One Big Beautiful Bill to better secure the border, including provisions
to: •Complete construction of the border wall and upgrade barrier system infrastructure like access roads, cameras, lights, and sensors. •Improve border screening technology to help prevent drug trafficking and human smuggling. •Support hiring and training border security personnel. •$450 million for the Operation Stonegarden grant program to equip state and local law enforcement officials to cooperate with Border Patrol’s efforts to enhance border security. •$500 million for state and local capabilities to detect threats from unmanned aerial systems.
Hoeven stressed that N.D. is uniquely positioned to assist CBP with developing the counter-UAS capabilities it needs due to the convergence of GrandSKY, the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, and the wide range of partnerships across military, federal agencies, universities and private industry. “With 861 miles of northern border and the one-of-a-kind UAS ecosystem we’ve built in N.D., we wanted Commissioner Scott to see firsthand the unique capabilities we are developing with our private, military and government partners that could be leveraged to assist law enforcement and help secure the border,” said Hoeven.
“We connected Commissioner Scott with local law enforcement officials, leaders from our UAS test site and UND to build yet another partnership that will help our state lead the way.” Hoeven and Scott also met with northern border community and business leaders to outline challenges facing border communities, including the impact of port of entry operating hours on local economies. Hoeven has been working to restore the ports to pre-pandemic operating hours. Following closures during the pandemic, Hoeven has secured expanded hours and continues to work to restore port of entry hours.
Heated exchange at Langdon City Council By The Borderland Press staff
There was a heated exchange between members of the Langdon City Council on Monday following a potential discrepancy in who will be paying for the recent special assessment that covers the cost of the recent road construction seen throughout the city. The assessment costs were published in the Aug. 8 edition of The Borderland Press. Shortly after publication, it was noticed by members of the council that the industrial park was included in the assessment. Part of the Council says this was in cont’d. on page A6