SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Senate voted yesterday to change Medicaid eligibility in Illinois in an effort to bring down spending and the deficit.  State Senator Mattie Hunter joined several of her colleagues in voting against the measure because the bill changes the eligibility standards for Medicaid in Illinois.

“Legislators are out there saying this is Medicaid reform, but this is not reform,” Hunter said. “Reform does not mean balancing the budget on the backs of the poor and the vulnerable. This bill kicks almost 300,000 people off of Medicaid. These people are just the top tier of the poor, and they are not able to afford the services they need on their own. This is a disgrace for our state, and it is criminal.”

Almost 2.7 million people in Illinois, or about 21% of the state’s population, currently rely on Medicaid. More than 60% of those are children, about 9% are adults with developmental disabilities, and just over 6% are seniors that primarily receive help paying for nursing home care. To be eligible for Medicaid, a person must have a low income and be a child (or child’s caregiver), pregnant, elderly, or disabled.

“We keep taking and taking from the people who depend on these services,” Hunter continued. “Now we are eliminating a program helping seniors with prescriptions, taking away dental care, and other programs.  This bill is not the right solution.”

Listen to Senator Hunter's comments from the floor of the Illinois Senate {mp3}HunterMedicaidCutCommentsFloor24May12{/mp3}