[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Illinois hospitals have been working for years to close racial and ethnic gaps in access to care and improve outcomes. They have established programs to identify and address risk factors—social, economic and environmental conditions that impact health outcomes—and expanded services targeting health disparities within their communities, such as transportation, housing and access to healthy food. These significant investments in health equity are now being threatened by dramatically higher operating costs.

Consider these three powerful facts:

• Research shows that underfunding of the Medicaid program stands in the way of addressing health disparities and removing barriers to care in already hard hit communities

• A 2019 study presented evidence that reimbursement rates play a critical role in Medicaid recipients’ ability to secure access to care, their utilization of healthcare services and their health status.

• The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) says that closing the gap in payments between Medicaid and private insurers would reduce more than two-thirds of disparities in access among adults and would eliminate access disparities entirely among children. NBER goes on to emphasize that improving access contributes to “more office visits, better self-reported health, and reduced school absenteeism.”

Because Medicaid rate increases are vital to both preserving and expanding access to care, all Illinois hospitals urge you to enact the first state-funded Medicaid increase in 28 years. Discover the facts to learn more.