Durbin Discusses Republicans’ Cuts To Medicaid, Health Care Workforce Shortages With Illinois Health & Hospital Association

Durbin Discusses Republicans' Cuts To Medicaid, Health Care Workforce Shortages With Illinois Health & Hospital Association

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois hospitals leaders from the Illinois Health & Hospital Association (IHA) to discuss the harms of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut $1 trillion from Medicaid spending to provide tax breaks for billionaires. Illinois alone is projected to face a cut of $48 billion in Medicaid funding, forcing Illinois hospitals to potentially face workforce losses, reductions in mental health and obstetrics services, facility closures, and millions of people losing their health insurance coverage. In Illinois, 3.4 million people are enrolled in Medicaid, including nearly 1.5 million children.

Durbin and the hospital leaders also discussed health care workforce shortages, particularly in rural communities, and how the federal government can support hospitals in recruiting and retaining health care professionals. Durbin previously secured $1 billion in the American Rescue Plan for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarship and loan repayment awards to recruit more doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health providers to rural and urban areas with shortages. Durbin also introduced the bipartisan Rural America Health Corps Act to create a NHSC pilot program to test whether an expanded loan repayment award and service commitment would increase retention in rural areas.

"Millions of Illinoisans rely on Medicaid. Now that congressional Republicans have jammed through the largest cut to health care funding in American history, hospitals are left in the lurch and Americans will have to wait longer in emergency rooms and drive further for care if rural hospitals close," Durbin said. "Today, I heard directly from Illinois hospitals from all across the state about how these cuts will impact their ability to provide critical care to their patients."

Photos of the meeting are available here.

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