As your constituent, I am writing to you today to plead for the lives of thousands of people across the country. Right now, the House Energy and Commerce Committee in D.C. has proposed detailed reductions of the federal deficit by at least $880 billion over 10 years. Currently, Medicaid accounts for 93% of the committee’s spending jurisdiction, I am more scared of Medicaid cuts now more than ever. As your constituent, I urge you to fight cuts to Medicaid.
Medicaid, the joint federal-state safety net program for health care, provides health insurance for eligible children, pregnant women, adults with limited income, and elderly or disabled adults. More than 80 million U.S. residents, including 3,438,447 million who live in Illinois, are covered by Medicaid. Of these, it is estimated 23% of people on Medicaid have one or more respiratory diseases. When examining Illinois Medicaid residents, a minimum of 791,000 residents on Medicaid suffer from at least one respiratory disease. For example, of the nearly 1.1 million people diagnosed with asthma in Illinois, a third of adults and nearly half of these children rely on Medicaid for essential healthcare services.
Notably, about half of Medicaid spending on seniors is for "home and community based" services, helping over 4 million chronically ill or elderly people in the U.S. get their care at home. Medicaid funds have started to pay wages to the caregivers of the elderly, both for informal caregivers such as friends or family, as well as professional caregivers. This practice has helped alleviate some of the financial burdens families often take on when caring for their elderly loved one, as well as helped reduce the strain on our hospice and long-term care systems. Cuts to these funds would prove disastrous to those who need them most.
People have a right to these healthcare services, regardless of their socioeconomic status. As your constituent, I urge you to protect Medicaid in our country and use your influence for the good of all your constituents. Thank you.
