Contact your US Representative and ask him or her to oppose proposed the Graham-Cassidy legislation. This bill is bad for the citizens and the economy of Illinois, and as a US Representative representing Illinois it is his or her responsibility to protect the economy and citizens of this state. If your Representative already opposes it, ask them to reach out to those in the Illinois delegation who do not and urge them to support Illinois by voting against this bill.
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WHY IT MATTERS:
The Graham-Cassidy proposal takes the funding for the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) and turns it into block grants for the states. The Congressional Budget Office has not yet scored the proposed bill. The plan has three main elements:
- A new block grant that would slash federal funding currently slated for Medicaid expansion and financial assistance with marketplace coverage. After making the cuts the block grant expires in 2026 leaving millions without any federal help.
- The underlying Medicaid program would be cut and restructured and threaten serious cuts to seniors, children with special healthcare needs, and others among the more than 70 million Americans who get health coverage through Medicaid.
- Elimination of consumer safeguards. State waivers would effectively end important national standards for private coverage removing essential benefits for people with preexisting conditions.
Also, the financial impact of Graham-Cassidy in Illinois would be severe. It would decimate the fragile Illinois budget, by cutting $153 billion in health care funding by 2036. An Avalere report shows that Illinois would lose $8 billion dollars for Medicaid between 2020 and 2026 -- money that will be given instead to states that did not expand Medicaid. When the block grant expires, Illinois will lose $10 billion in 2027 alone.
