Rep. Kelly rejects deadly cuts to Medicaid at health center

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02)
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02)

Rep. Kelly rejects deadly cuts to Medicaid at health center

Rep. Kelly, Cook County Health, healthcare leaders gathered at Blue Island Health Center to condemn the Republican tax bill

BLUE ISLAND, ILL. – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) gathered elected officials, healthcare leaders and those who would be directly affected by Medicaid cuts at Cook County Health Blue Island Health Center.

“President Trump’s Big, Ugly Bill is deadly. House Republicans passed a bill that will rip away Americans’ healthcare, overwhelm emergency rooms, and close hospitals, threatening whole communities,” said Rep. Kelly. “I will continue to raise the alarm on all the harmful effects of this legislation. Healthcare leaders, public servants and community members are speaking out in one voice: cuts to Medicaid will cost people their lives.”

“Blue Island knows all too well what it means to lose a hospital and the impact it has on a community,” said Mayor Fred Bilotto of Blue Island. “Cuts to Medicaid would push more hospitals to the brink and strip essential care from those who need it most. We stand with Rep. Kelly in fighting to protect healthcare access and keep our communities healthy and strong.”

“People across the Southland and Illinois rely on Medicaid for access to health care, and I’ll continue to fight against this disastrous Republican bill,” said State Rep. Robert Rita (HD-28). “We cannot cut coverage and care for people who can least afford to lose it.”

“Study after study shows that uninsured people are more likely to forgo or delay necessary medical care due to cost, leading to advanced diseases and premature death. This means that instead of treating diabetes and high blood pressure we will end up treating more heart attacks and strokes,” said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, Cook County Health CEO. “Cuts to Medicaid will affect every health care consumer, not just those who rely on Medicaid for coverage. Costs to care for more uninsured and sicker patients end up coming full circle in all of our health care premiums, as well as Medicare and Social Security expenses. Reduced reimbursements will impact hospitals, doctors, and nursing homes, and potentially cause closures and service reductions, worsening access and wait times for everyone.”

“Being a healthy society means ensuring everyone can access care,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi, chief operating officer of Cook County Department of Public Health, and family medicine physician at Cook County Health. “Medicaid cuts don’t just affect individuals—they would destabilize entire communities, deepening health inequities and setting the stage for a public health crisis driven not by new diseases, but by the deliberate dismantling of access to care.”

The House-passed bill cuts Medicaid by $698 billion and would result in 16 million Americans losing healthcare coverage, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report. Nearly half a million Illinoisans would lose healthcare coverage, including over 38,000 people in the Second District. The historic cuts to Medicaid would also lead to a rise of $1.3 billion in uncompensated care costs in Illinois, threatening nine at-risk rural hospitals in the state.

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