As one of your constituents, I urge you to protect and preserve Medicaid, a foundational source of health and economic security for 80 million Americans, including 3.4 million Illinoisans.

Any proposals to cap funding, reduce the federal share of Medicaid spending, establish block grants, institute work reporting and community engagement requirements, cut state revenue from provider taxes or otherwise undermine the fundamental structure of the Medicaid program will all have disastrous consequences. Families will lose access to lifesaving services, states will be strapped with massive budget holes, hospitals and clinics will lose revenue, forcing them to scale back services and even close, and American families and workers will be unable to afford essential care to help them stay healthy.

Last November, voters like me went to the polls to hold policymakers accountable for delivering better affordability for everyday needs like buying groceries, paying rent or getting health care. Proposals to cut Medicaid would do the exact opposite: shifting costs onto working class families, our state, our doctors, and our hospitals. This is unacceptable.

I urge you to reject any cuts to Medicaid and instead take action to lower costs and protect access to health care for people and families like mine.