Durbin Hears From UnityPoint, BJC Hospital Systems About Impacts Of Medicaid Cuts In Republicans' Reconciliation Package

Durbin Hears From UnityPoint, BJC Hospital Systems About Impacts Of Medicaid Cuts In Republicans' Reconciliation Package

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with leadership of BJC Health System, which has hospitals in both Illinois and Missouri, as well as UnityPoint Health, which has hospitals in both Illinois and Iowa, to discuss the impact that President Trump's and congressional Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have on Medicaid, their hospitals, and the patients they serve. In short, the Republican bill will slash Medicaid coverage in order to pay for significant tax breaks for billionaires.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts $800 billion from Medicaid and $300 billion from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), resulting in 16 million Americans losing health insurance coverage. Under the Republican bill, 498,674 people in Illinois, 106,781 people in Iowa, and 250,397 people in Missouri are projected to lose their health insurance coverage.

"President Trump and congressional Republicans are coming for your health care to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. It's as cruel as that," said Durbin. "It doesn't matter if you live in a red or blue state-16 million Americans will lose health coverage-and hospitals will suffer as I discussed with both BJC Health System and UnityPoint Health. These hospitals don't just represent Illinoisans-they also serve the people of Iowa and Missouri. During our call, we discussed the horrible impacts this bill will have on their patients, especially children and in rural areas. I hope the Missouri and Iowa Senators will do the right thing for these hospitals and the people they represent and reject this cruel bill."

Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:

• Patients must first report their employment to obtain Medicaid coverage resulting in difficulties navigating the bureaucratic mess of hastily crafted verification systems.

• It halts provider taxes used by 49 states including Illinois to draw down a federal match to finance the Medicaid program-this provision blocks new or increased provider taxes, which will harm access to all patients in urban and rural hospitals.

• It increases co-pays for Medicaid beneficiaries for doctor visits and prescriptions and allows providers to refuse to see patients who fail to pay-resulting in low-income patients forgoing care.

• And it fails to extend the enhanced premium tax credits for purchasing insurance on the exchange. These tax credits make insurance more affordable and resulted in the uninsured rate reaching a record low under President Biden.

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