22-03-2025
‘Devastating consequences': Pritzker emphasizes importance of protecting Medicaid from federal cuts
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) warned federal cuts to Medicaid would have devastating consequences for millions of Illinoisans during a roundtable at Peoria on Friday.
Pritzker is making stops throughout the state for the 'Standing up for Illinois' tour to rally Illinoisans to push back on the 'extreme' Trump agenda. On Friday, he visited EP!C, a disability services organization in Peoria, accompanied by local advocates and Medicaid recipients.
'The consequences for people will be devastating. People will be stripped of their only access to potentially life-saving treatment. And I will say this for myself. I believe that blood will be on their hands. People will lose their lives as a result of what they're trying to do,' said Pritzker.
Republicans are looking to cut $800 billion from the budget to help pay for a $4.5 trillion tax cut. Pritzker said the only way they can do that is by gutting Medicaid.
'Donald Trump and Elon Musk and congressional Republicans in their crusade to give an enormous, massive tax cut to the wealthiest people in the country, have put working Illinoisans' health care on the chopping block,' he said.
Impact on people and hospitals
Home care worker Jessica Bolmer is fighting cancer, and chemotherapy is not cheap. She said Medicaid is the only reason she has a roof over her head.
'Medicaid is not just something that the government hands to people that are lazy and don't want to get jobs. I went through all the steps. I went to college, I worked a job, I worked two jobs and still ended up sleeping in my car,' she said.
You probably know someone receiving Medicaid benefits too. Pritzker said one in four Illinoisans depends on Medicaid, to the tune of $8 billion a year.
'These are working parents and they're seniors. They're people with disabilities. There are friends, there are neighbors, people that we care about,' he said.
Bolmer also worries about her home care clients who depend on Medicaid. She got into the field after moving back home to care for her ailing father
'If Medicaid gets cut, so many people are going to suffer. I do home care still today because I fell in love with helping people maintain their independence, freedoms and dignity. That my clients are just so dependent on Medicaid and the community care programs. They wouldn't have these without them,' she said.
Medicaid is the largest insurer of nursing homes in Illinois. It also covers nearly half of children's healthcare in Illinois. If the cuts go through, Pritzker warned the state healthcare system and hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake.
'Rural hospitals depend upon Medicaid to stay open and to serve small towns. Critical access hospitals, and safety net hospitals in cities depend upon Medicaid. If we lose Medicaid, we're going to lose hospitals. Illinois hospitals and health systems support 445,000 full-time jobs, and they anchor many of those rural communities I mentioned. Hospitals not only will close, but people working at those hospitals will lose their jobs,' he said.
An empty chair
Congressman Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) was invited to Friday's roundtable, but did not show up. Many members of the audience, who said they want a town hall with their congressman, expressed their displeasure with loud boos.
LaHood has previously said Republicans are not going to touch Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security in the reconciliation bill.
WMBD has reached out to the congressman's office for comment.
Call to action
The Pritzker administration has taken proactive steps to expand healthcare access, reduce medical debt, and process thousands of Medicaid applications.
'We ought to be expanding health care, not cutting back. We ought to be investing in our healthcare infrastructure. We ought to be erasing hundreds of millions of dollars in medical debt. And guess what? That's what we've done in the state of Illinois,' said Pritzker. 'We need to go forward. We're not going back. But Donald Trump and Elon Musk, if they're successful at cutting Medicaid, no state in the country has the money to backfill what they're going to take away,' he said.
Pritzker encouraged the audience to advocate for their rights, before its too late.
'We can't wait for that damage to set in. We have to do something right now. Now is the time to stand up for Medicaid, for our working families, for each other,' he said.
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