Durbin Discusses Impacts Of Medicaid Cuts On Rural Hospitals, Clinics
CAHOKIA HEIGHTS — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined health care administrators from Touchette Regional Hospital, Jersey Community Hospital, Sparta Community Hospital, Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, and the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network to discuss the impact of potential Medicaid cuts on rural hospitals and their patients. Republicans in Congress have proposed funding tax breaks for billionaires by cutting $880 billion to the Medicaid program.
Statewide, 3.4 million Illinoisans rely on Medicaid for health care. This includes children, seniors, people with disabilities, and pregnant women. Approximately half of the patients served by Touchette Regional Hospital are covered by Medicaid.
“Rural hospitals are the backbone of the communities they serve,” said Durbin. “Medicaid is a lifeline for them and their patients, and dismantling the program to pay for unrelated tax breaks would create chaos. Critical hospitals like Touchette, Jersey, and Sparta could be forced to make impossible decisions to cut services, forcing patients to sit on wait lists or drive more than an hour to the next closest hospital for care. This is unacceptable. I will continue working to advocate for our rural hospitals and protect Medicaid access for Illinoisans.”
Durbin has continuously advocated for federal support for rural hospitals. Last month, Durbin and U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act, which would support financially vulnerable rural hospitals facing risk of closure. Additionally, last year, Durbin led passage of the SIREN Reauthorization Act, which provides grants to rural fire and ambulance services to recruit emergency medical services personnel and purchase equipment. And in the 2021 American Rescue Plan, Durbin secured $1 billion for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarship and loan repayment awards to recruit more doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health providers to underserved rural and urban areas.
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