Why Medicaid Cuts Matter

By: Theresa Forthofer, CEO & President

The new healthcare legislation, Better Care Reconciliation Act, is everywhere in the news. With our current political climate, you may want to just ignore it and turn off the TV.

Please don’t ignore the impact this legislation will have on you or someone close to you.

Currently 60 percent of children and adults with disabilities use Medicaid. It also pays for nearly half of all births in the United States and 40 percent of children are covered through Medicaid. This bill would cause each state to have to find more money to decrease the gap from these federal cuts. Without a budget in Illinois, we can take a guess on how the state will make up this difference. Under the proposed Senate bill, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 22 million people would lose coverage by 2026.

This will greatly impact you or a friend or neighbor. It impacts my family, as my adult sons, Ryan and Justin have Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy and Autism and receive Medicaid funded home-based services. These services have helped my family immensely and have become vital for us, and I know they are vital for many of the families we serve at Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley.  Supporting children in their early years will save the system significantly more as they age.  The expense is far less than having to provide life-long care outside the home.

This proposed bill is making health care more expensive to those who need it most – like low-income families and people with disabilities.

Help your child or other children and adults with disabilities. I urge you to tell Congress #NoCutsNoCaps on #Medicaid. It is easy to do by following these steps on this link. 

• Search for a Senator
• Call the number listed by their name and ask for the relevant health legislative assistant.
• Use the provided call script to guide your conversation.
• Optional: Refer to additional talking points provided here
• Share this page and image on Facebook to spread the word