Sequestration, the automatic and across-the-board federal spending cuts that were specifically designed to be so painful that they never would occur, are likely to take effect on March 1st. This is different than what we were hearing just a few weeks ago. The 2% mandated cuts to Medicare totaling more than $2.9 billion in 2013 will disproportionately ill-effect the small rural providers that rely on federal government funding to keep their doors open.