* Crain’s…

Gov. JB Pritzker, joined by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and several members of the Illinois congressional delegation, spoke this morning about the devastating impact to Illinois Medicaid recipients the federal budget represents.

The House budget calls for $2 trillion in cuts focused on safety-net programs like Medicaid, though it does not specify exact measures on individual cuts.

Almost 3.4 million people, including half the children in the state, are covered by Medicaid, Pritzker said. Medicaid is the largest insurer of people in nursing homes, he noted.

Illinois Medicaid, the health insurance program paid with both federal and state funds, serves low-income and disabled Americans. Right now, the federal government covers 90%, or $7.5 billion, of Illinois Medicaid costs, with the state covering roughly the other 10%.

Click here to view Medicaid enrollment races by Illinois State House and Senate districts.

* The Governor was asked about the budget ramifications if Federal Medicaid funds were cut…

There’s no chance that the state of Illinois can make up for the dollars that we would lose if Medicaid is impacted in the ways that we believe that it will be because you’re talking about, if you just talked about the Medicaid expansion, which they’re talking about seemingly much more than that. But if you just talk about that piece, right, that’s about seven and a half billion dollars that the state of Illinois would have to come up with in order to extend that program and pay for it ourselves. There is not seven and a half billion dollars in the state of Illinois that we have to make up for that program. What would we have to do? I mean, we have contingency programs that we’ve thought up and put on paper that we want to put in place if, God forbid this happens.

But the reality is, it’s going to involve encouraging free care clinics, making sure that hospitals stay open as best we can, because they’re going to be layoffs across the state of Illinois. And Senator Durbin said earlier that he’s from Springfield, all across central Illinois, where he’s from, there will be closures. I mean literally, these hospitals cannot survive without they serve. They have populations, sometimes 60, 70, 80 percent of the population that they serve are Medicaid recipients, just like the safety net hospitals here in the city of Chicago. So I it’s it will be devastating.

There is not enough that the state can do to make up for the damage that Elon Musk, maybe I should say President Musk, and President Trump will do to the people of Illinois.

* From the governor’s press release…

Illinois Medicaid By-the-Numbers:

– Illinoisans Covered by Medicaid: 3.4 million. Approximately 1 in 4 Illinoisans
– Illinois Children Covered by Medicaid: 1.4 million
– Percentage of Illinois Births Covered by Medicaid: 44%
– Illinois Adults Covered by ACA Expansion: 770,000
– Illinois Nursing Home Days Covered by Medicaid: 68%
– Percentage of IL Community Mental Health Center Patients Covered by Medicaid: 80%
– Percentage of people in IL living with HIV covered by Medicaid: 50%
– Number of people employed by Illinois hospitals and health systems: 445,000 (11% of the state’s total employment)

Among the most vulnerable to Republican cuts are the 770,000 Illinoisans who are covered through the ACA expansion, who would otherwise be ineligible for Medicaid. The last time Republicans attempted to eliminate the ACA Medicaid expansion in 2017, it was estimated that Illinois could lose between 55,000 to 60,000 jobs statewide and $7.5 billion in annual economic activity.

Cuts to Medicaid will affect the most vulnerable people in our communities – low-income adults, children, pregnant women, individuals with disabilities, seniors with limited financial resources, and people living in rural areas. A reduction to Medicaid services would also have a devastating impact on hospitals and health systems. In fiscal year 2024, the Medicaid program in Illinois paid $10.8 billion to hospitals, $3.8 billion to Long-Term Care facilities, $4.5 billion to pharmacies, and $2.1 billion to physicians and clinics across the state.

Medicaid also plays a critical role in Illinois’ economy, supporting jobs and communities across the state. Illinois’ hospitals and health systems, most of which serve Medicaid enrollees, annually generate $117.7 billion for the state. This breaks down to $50.3 billion for payroll, $61.8 billion for supplies and services, and $5.6 billion in capital funding. Every dollar spent on these categories, generates an additional $1.40 in spending, ultimately contributing to the growth of local economies across the state. Illinois hospitals and health systems also support 445,000 full-time jobs, comprising 11% of the state’s total employment.