What's at Stake?
Over the weekend, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the current version of the proposed budget would cut $1.1 Trillion from Medicaid over the next ten years. The proposed reductions to federal Medicaid spending will primarily result from two changes: 1) implementing work requirements for persons aged 19-64 to be effective by December 30, 2026, and 2) shifting responsibility for some Medicaid costs from the federal to state budgets. The Illinois Medicaid program will face the unprecedented burden of having only 18 months to design and implement an entirely new system for tracking work activities at the same time that they will have fewer dollars to run the program.
With these budget constraints, Illinois Medicaid will likely face unwelcome pressures to reduce spending on many optional services that are not mandated by federal law. These could include dental, vision, and hearing as well as services offered through the home and community based waiver programs. In other words, even those populations exempted from work requirements could still face significant losses of coverage for critically important health services. In addition to the burden on individuals who will not be able to afford these services, Illinois health care providers who accept Medicaid will see significant reductions in their revenue. These funding cuts may lead to to the closure of Illinois safety net providers, particularly in rural communities.
Your voice is needed now to ask your legislators to maintain the Medicaid program in its current form. Please call (202) 224-3121 to make your concerns heard!
