Medicaid Saves Lives

We believe that everyone has a right to healthcare so that our families and communities can thrive. Medicaid is the largest health insurance program in the country, providing healthcare to nearly 80 million people, including close to 40% of our nation’s children. 77% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Medicaid.

Medicaid covers one in four people in Illinois and Indiana – seniors, veterans, kids, working moms and dads, people of color, rural Americans, and people with disabilities. It funds the jobs of healthcare workers who care for our loved ones in hospitals, nursing homes, and in their own homes and communities. Medicaid funding is also an important part of state budgets and covers things you may not even think about – like special education, care for foster kids, and mental health services.

Congress has announced plans to give trillions in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, making clear they’ll slash Medicaid to pay for it. Instead of addressing the real culprits—billionaires and corporations who are driving up costs and prioritizing profits over people—they want to take healthcare away from working families and scapegoat the poor and the disproportionately high number of people of color who rely on Medicaid.

If Congress cuts Medicaid, millions of children, adults, and people with disabilities will lose healthcare. Seniors and veterans who rely on home care won’t be able to stay in their homes, as Medicare and private insurance don’t cover it. Nursing home residents will face reduced care due to staff shortages. Rural hospitals that depend on Medicaid funding will close. Parents, already working two and three jobs to cover the basics will have nowhere to turn if their child is sick. Doctors and nurses will continue to leave as there will be less funding for the quality of care their patients deserve. Kids with learning and developmental disabilities will not have support in classrooms so that they can learn and thrive.

Deep Medicaid cuts will have a devastating impact on state budgets, reducing funds not only for Medicaid services but also for other areas. State and local governments will have to make cuts elsewhere to make up the difference. This means hiring freezes and no raises for dedicated public workers. We’ll see run down and  overcrowded schools, less access to childcare, and fewer community resources like affordable housing and nutrition programs, that support a public safety net and promote equity are neglected.

Every family knows someone who counts on Medicaid. Call 866-426-2631 or send a letter to your members of Congress now.