DIXON – Unless something is done, state Rep. Bradley Fritts fears rural and underserved communities throughout the state will be left without access to local health care options.

Fritts, R-Dixon, was reelected Nov. 5 to a second term in the Illinois House to represent the 74th District after defeating Democratic challenger David Simpson. Fritts, a Dixon native, first elected in 2022, said this term he plans to focus on rural health care, public safety, property taxes and district outreach.

Rural health care

Fritts said financial hardships facing hospitals due to low Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates are contributing to hospital closures and health care deserts throughout the state, especially in rural or underserved areas.

“When I started in January of 2023, about five days in, we got news about the hospital closing in Peru, and then a couple of weeks later, its sister hospital in Spring Valley,” Fritts said. “In Dixon, we’re losing KSB, which, luckily, is being bought out by OSF. But it’s a real factor, and it’s being seen all across the state.”

Fritts said the current reimbursement rates are creating an “unsustainable business model” for hospitals.

“If you come into a hospital and the hospital’s out-of-pocket costs for a procedure is $50, they may charge you $100, and your private insurance battles it out,” Fritts said. “If somebody walks in on Medicare, the hospital is being reimbursed at $48 on that $50 procedure. So, they’re losing a little bit of money. If you are on Medicaid, it was described to me that hospitals are only being reimbursed $10. So, they’re losing $40. That’s an unsustainable business model.”

Fritts said he sees many older people in rural communities who are on Medicare and underserved people who are on Medicaid.

“When those become the bigger clientele groups for those hospitals and they’re constantly losing money, it becomes unsustainable,” Fritts said. “So, I will continue to be a staunch advocate for increasing our Medicaid reimbursement rates and doing what we can to ensure that we have a hospital for years to come.”

Public safety

Fritts said he also plans to support law enforcement and first responders by battling two pieces of state legislation he feels are counterproductive to public safety.

“The SAFE-T Act and the Trust Act are two major pieces of legislation that have affected the whole state of Illinois,” Fritts said.

The Illinois TRUST Act prohibits law enforcement from detaining or holding someone based solely on an immigration detainer or a nonjudicial immigration warrant. It also prevents them from following such detainers or warrants.

According to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, the SAFE-T Act includes a provision for cashless bail, which eliminates the requirement for individuals charged with most nonviolent offenses to pay bail to be released from custody before trial. Instead, judges assess the risk a defendant poses to public safety or the likelihood of fleeing.

“There’s a lot of staggering statistics that are coming back to us about the number of reoccurring offenders because of the cashless bail system,” Fritts said. “So, I continue to be an opponent of those and push for reforms, if not an all-out repeal.”

Property taxes

Fritts said the cost of property taxes is one of the biggest complaints he has heard from people while traveling through the district.

“What’s contributing to that the most is unfunded mandates coming down from Springfield,” Fritts said. “So, I’m going to continue to be a staunch advocate for our municipal governments to get the money that they’re owed, because municipal government, county government, township government, fire protection districts and our school districts are all funded through property taxes.”

District outreach

“I want to continue to be accessible to my constituents,” Fritts said. “I want to know their concerns. Every piece of legislation that I’ve worked on and or passed has come as a direct result from my constituencies, and I want to continue to be open and available to them.”

Fritts said success often boils down to one thing: bipartisanship.

“Early on, I got a good piece of advice from a legislator who had been at it a long time,” Fritts said. “He says to me, ‘Brad, right now, you are a Republican politician. The two-party system is a great mechanism. It helps people rally around particular candidates and talk about issues on a big scale. That helps you get elected. But once you’re elected, and you take that oath of office, you’re no longer a Republican politician. You are a government official representing over 100,000 people.’ I took that advice to heart.”