Rep. Kelly Gathers Elected Officials, Healthcare Advocates Against Republican Medicaid Cuts

Rep. Kelly Gathers Elected Officials, Healthcare Advocates Against Republican Medicaid Cuts

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) condemned House Republicans’ $880 billion budget cut to Medicaid alongside U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), healthcare providers and community members at Roseland Community Hospital (RCH).

Cuts to Medicaid would force RCH to consider layoffs, service line cuts and even closure. Many of the hospital’s patients rely on Medicaid, similar to over 300,000 people in Illinois’ Second District.

“House Republicans are willing to exchange people’s healthcare for a $4.5 trillion-dollar tax break to the wealthy. They are betraying their own constituents and Americans across the country – all because Donald Trump wants more money for Elon Musk and his billionaire friends,” said Rep. Kelly. “In the coming weeks and months, they will try to slash Medicaid, and we need to be prepared to push back and show them the American people are not behind them.”

Rep. Kelly also invited two community members, including a Medical Assistant at RCH, to speak on the potential impact of Medicaid cuts to themselves and their own families.

“We need real solutions, not cuts that leave families without options and put people’s health at risk,” said Ikeya Johnson, Medical Assistant at RCH. “Medicaid is a lifeline, and it must be protected.”

“Medicaid has proven to be a very important resource needed to help keep me and my loved ones alive,” said Diane Latiker, who is covered by Medicaid.

“More than three million Illinoisans rely on Medicaid for life-saving medical treatment,” said Senator Durbin. “Efforts by Republicans in Congress to gut Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for billionaires hurts children, seniors, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and families just trying to get by—and puts hospitals at risk of closure. I will continue working alongside Representatives Kelly and Jackson to defend Medicaid, and I hope Republicans in Congress find the courage to listen to us and abandon this harmful plan.”

“Medicaid is a lifeline for over 3.4 million Illinois residents, including over half of our state's children. In my district alone, 268,901 of my constituents are enrolled in Medicaid,” said Rep. Jackson. “They cannot afford to lose their healthcare. As a Medicaid expansion state, Illinois has made critical investments in healthcare access, ensuring that families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities receive the care they need. Cutting Medicaid funding would have devastating consequences, forcing hospitals to consider layoffs and service reductions, jeopardizing care for those who need it most.”

"The closure of HHS Regional Offices combined with these massive Medicaid cuts represents not just a policy change, but a dangerous abandonment of our most vulnerable communities and the healthcare infrastructure they depend on,” said Michael Cabonargi, former Regional Director of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “As someone who witnessed firsthand how these regional connections save lives during public health crises, I can assure you that dismantling this system while slashing Medicaid will create healthcare deserts in communities that can least afford to lose access to care."

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