DuPage County rally to support Medicaid in the face of proposed cuts

With the future of many social programs under scrutiny by the new administration and Republican-led Congress, a rally in support of maintaining the current coverage of Medicaid will be held on Sunday afternoon at the DuPage County Courthouse.

Despite a statement reported by Politico that President Donald Trump would “love and cherish” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, local lawmakers are skeptical of the future of many long-standing federal initiatives including Medicaid, a program that covers nearly 80 million low-income individuals throughout the United States and nearly 3.5 million in the State of Illinois, according to Medicaid.gov.

The federal freeze on funded spending, temporarily freezing the Medicaid website and the “chaos” in Washington, led Illinois state Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock, D-Villa Park, and other lawmakers to join forces and gather at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the DuPage County Courthouse, 505 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, at the rally held hours before Superbowl LIX’s kickoff.

“Trust me,” she said, “I got pushback” on the timing.

However, Blair-Sherlock was clear “we don’t have time to waste.”

“The majority party is talking a lot about where they can save money and where they can make cuts. Some of those cuts include eliminating Medicaid expansion, changing eligibility requirements and lowering reimbursement rates for providers,” she said.

“We are trying to focus on the things that are really important,” Blair-Sherlock said. “We want to make people aware of these threatened cuts, and we want people to reach out to their federal legislators.”

With 21,000 residents in her district on Medicaid alone, Blair-Sherlock has received phone calls and had constituents in her office distraught over their potential loss of benefits.

Local officials’ concern also arose from a 50-page document put together by top U.S. Republicans that outlines various measures to trim the federal budget including Medicaid cuts.

Now in the midst of federal budget discussions, state Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, said, “Congress has begun conversations about the budget reconciliation act which gives them 90 days to adopt.”

In that act they could make cuts to Medicaid, she said.

Any cuts could also impact the Medicaid Expansion Act, which increases eligibility by increasing the income levels and also gives stipends in the open insurance market.

“That impacts 800,000 Illinoisans,” Ventura said.

People could lose their health care coverage or if they are on the open market their coverage could increase in cost, said Ventura, whose district includes an economically disadvantaged population.

Furthermore, Illinois is one of several states that has a trigger law that would eliminate Medicaid expansion if federal funding drops below a set level.

According to the 2024 National Association of State Budget Officers State Expenditure Report, a baseline analysis of state spending showed than more half of the federal funds given to states was used to fund Medicaid.

Blair-Sherlock said if there are federal cuts to Medicaid, Illinois does not have funds to keep Medicaid at its current level for Illinois residents.

The state is currently facing a $3 billion shortfall which does not include the “fiscal cliff for public transportation,” she said. “If the federal government would pull that money back, we don’t have the money to backstop it. That would deplete our rainy day fund in one day.”

Other notable attendees include state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville; state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago; and Daniel Hebreard, president of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Hebreard said he’s attending the rally because, “As a community leader, I want to support Illinois families who count on Medicaid.”

“Most importantly,” he added, “Those among us who need the most help should not be the first targets, if we are going to have federal cuts.”

Individuals are Medicaid eligible if they fall within the poverty guidelines which is $32,150 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Blair-Sherlock said she first became involved with the state government because she has two special needs children.

Illinoisians may want to “keep their eye on education,” she said. “That is the next shoe to drop.”

Now adults, Blair-Sherlock said her children received services that have made them self-sufficient.

“If we cut those services, it could be earth-shattering,” for kids with disabilities, she said. “And they need a fair shot.”