With just a few days left to go until the Iowa caucuses, prominent presidential candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are duking it out for the support of Iowa voters. By now, most of the candidates have crisscrossed the state, visiting everywhere from the Iowa State Fair to miscellaneous local businesses and homes. But there are some places where the candidates may be less keen to go: rural hospitals struggling to keep their doors open. Healthcare facilities across the state are struggling mightily to stay above water. But, if leading Democratic candidates get their way, hundreds more may close for good. Candidates may not have time to swing by the failing hospitals of Iowa, but they should at least answer for their destructive healthcare policy proposals.

This may come as a surprise to many bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., but not all Americans want the same exact healthcare plan. In the wake of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), a growing tide of (mainly religious) Americans have turned to Healthcare Sharing Ministries (HCSM) as a form of quasi-insurance to protect them against ailments and infirmities. But these institutions are incurring the wrath of state officials across the country who eye any alternative to government-ordained medical “insurance” with suspicion. Policymakers should empower patients to make choices for themselves and their families as they see fit, not restrict their medical freedoms.