People deserve the right to stay healthy and to have medical treatment. People who are in need of financial assistance are among those proposed to lose their medical benefits. There are over 2.7 million people in Illinois use Medicaid. Gov. Pat Quinn offered a plan Thursday that would toss about 215,000 people off Medicaidand cut payments to doctors and hospitals.
The proposal would end prescription drug coverage for about 180,000 senior citizens and tighten income guidelines so some 26,000 adults no longer qualify for medical services.
In addition, a variety of services deemed optional by the federal government would be eliminated or restricted. They include adult dental care, elective cesarean sections and the number of prescriptions people can receive.
Hospital groups predicted the rate cuts would force some institutions to close, reducing access to medical care and eliminating thousands of jobs.
Saving Medicaid doesn't have to be all about cutting services and payments. Bottom line: Illinois needs to target its Medicaid dollars on essential services to help the people of Illinois and not to hurt us.
