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ROCKFORD, Ill. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today convened health care leaders to discuss how Trump and Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill is harming Northern Illinois by ripping health care away from thousands and driving up costs. Duckworth met with leaders from UW Health Swedish American Hospital, UW Health Belvidere Hospital, OSF HealthCare and the Winnebago County Health Department to discuss the impacts in the region since the law was signed last year.
“Access to quality health care is already too difficult in this country, and thanks to Republicans’ Big Beautiful Betrayal, things are getting worse,” Duckworth said. “Trump and Republicans succeeded in making the largest cuts to Medicaid in history and because of them, we’re going to see hospitals shut down, nursing homes close and thousands of folks in Illinois lose their health coverage. Health care is going to suffer in our country, all so Donald Trump and Republicans could give their billionaire friends a tax break. Republicans would rather hurt middle class Americans that than simply ask the wealthy pay their fair share.”
Trump and Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill made the largest health care cuts in history, destabilizing the health care system with more than $1 trillion in cuts from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. From July to November of 2025, more than 100,000 Illinoisans lost Medicaid coverage, and an additional 400,000 Illinoisans are expected to lose coverage over the coming years. Thanks to Medicaid cuts, 16 hospitals in Illinois have either closed or are at risk of closing as of March and $1.4 million in Illinois hospital funding has been slashed. More than 100 nursing homes and hospitals, primarily in rural areas, are at risk of closing and Medicaid cuts are predicted to result in more than 18,000 jobs cut across the state.
