* March 6…
An analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that was sent to lawmakers this week showed that budget goals outlined in a House GOP plan could not be reached without reducing spending on Medicaid, clashing with commitments from Republicans not to cut the popular entitlement program.
The CBO’s letter is here.
* US Rep. Darin LaHood was interviewed by WCBU Radio last week…
Q: What’s your position on the potential cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, things of that nature?
LaHood: Well, no one has talked about cutting Social Security. The President said just the opposite, that he’s not going to cut Social Security or Medicare. So that’s a political issue that people are trying to use, but I’m not supportive of that.
* The governor held a “Save Medicaid” event in Peoria last week. From a question during his resulting press conference…
Q: This morning, Congressman LaHood said on the radio that any talk about destruction of Medicare or Medicaid was just a political ploy and that none of these programs would be cut. So, what would you say to the congressman if he was here?
Pritzker: Well, if he were here, I would love to hear him say that to everybody here, constituents of his, but apparently he’s unwilling to say it to your face. He’ll maybe say it to a camera here or there, and then when his colleagues vote to take funding away from Medicaid, what will he say then. What will he say then? I think he’ll say, ‘Well, this was the will of the Congress and the majority,’ right? But listen, great, stand up for Medicaid. But have you heard him stand up for Medicaid? No.
So I suspect that he is not giving you the whole truth, and that, in fact, what he’s saying is, ‘Well, we’re going to preserve Medicaid, but we’re going to take away,’ because this is what they’ve talked about, take away the Obamacare, Affordable Care Act piece of Medicaid, which is about coverage for about 800,000 people in the state of Illinois, and it takes away about $8 billion of funding for that program. And he will say, ‘I preserved Medicaid. See, the other part of Medicaid is just fine.’
But what about the 800,000 people? And by the way, many of those are senior citizens who are in nursing homes. Where are they going to go? Where are they going to go? And and people who, you know, single people who desperately need coverage. I bet Jesse may be one of them. I’m saying people who are sick, who are single, who are covered by this program, will lose health care coverage. So what is he going to do to make sure that they continue to get health care coverage? And again, his unwillingness to show up here kind of tells the story.
LaHood was asked about Medicaid, but didn’t actually mention Medicaid in his response, but Pritzker didn’t know that.
* Related…
* Capitol News Illinois | Durbin, Pritzker put pressure on Republicans to oppose cuts to key programs: Illinois covers about half of Medicaid costs for about 3.4 million people, or 1 in 4 residents, under the traditional program. Medicaid eligibility was expanded in 2010 by the Affordable Care Act to include more adults at higher income levels. Approximately 770,000 people in Illinois are covered under the expansion and the federal government pays 90% of the cost for that group. If Congress severely reduced that program, the state wouldn’t be able to make up the billions of dollars the federal government sends Illinois each year to cover the program, Gov. JB Pritzker said at a news conference Friday in Peoria. “I believe that blood will be on their hands,” Pritzker said of Trump and Republicans. “People will lose their lives as a result of what they’re trying to do right now.”
* Sun-Times | Health coverage for Chicago area immigrants jeopardized in Gov. Pritzker’s budget proposal: Raymundo Ruiz, 53, of Melrose Park, worries his medical condition could worsen if he loses his health insurance through HBIA. He was diagnosed with Parkison’s disease about four years ago after a doctor noticed his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “It would be fatal for me because with just one hour that I miss my medications, my hands start to shake and I get very tense,” Ruiz said in Spanish. “I can’t do anything. It would affect me a lot.”
- Captain Obvious - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 11:29 am:
JB: while those evil Republicans cut your Medicaid because there isn’t enough money in the budget I am going to cut Medicaid for migrants because there isn’t enough money in the budget.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 12:07 pm:
===And again, his unwillingness to show up here kind of tells the story.===
This is good, Governor. More of this.
===Captain Obvious ===
Come on, Cap’. You’re ignoring the obvious. The GOP wants to cut taxes on billionaires and millionaires and cut spending on the social safety net to do it. It isn’t the same.
- Norseman - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 12:38 pm:
This Congressman LaHood is not his daddy’s Congressman LaHood. This one has no qualms about gaslighting his constituents.
- Brave New World - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 12:53 pm:
Candy- I do not see the difference. JB could also raise taxes to maintain his Medicaid status quo.
- Ducky LaMoore - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 1:10 pm:
So few times I get to read comments and find Candy Dogood to be the “conservative” voice.
- Proud Sucker - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 1:11 pm:
Brave,
To me the difference is that Congress doesn’t need to raise taxes for Medicare. This issue is solely driven by their want to cut taxes, solely for that sake, and helping the 0.02%.
- Mason County - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 1:42 pm:
Anyone who tries to cut SS is in big trouble politically.
Medicare- any cuts would have to be very targeted and limited.
Medicaid- a lot less support and mostly likely will be cut to some degree.
- Peoria player - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 1:53 pm:
JB Pritzker is a hypocrite, and everyone in Peoria knows it. If LaHood runs for Governor, he beats Pritzker 55 to 45.
- Retired SURS Emplopyee - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 1:59 pm:
–JB Pritzker is a hypocrite, and everyone in Peoria knows it. If LaHood runs for Governor, he beats Pritzker 55 to 45.–
That’s a joke, isn’t it’t it?
If not, you are delusional.
- JS Mill - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 1:59 pm:
@Captian Obvious- Big big difference. The extension of Medicaid to migrants was a one year program. Not a perpetual program. It was out in place as a temporary measure.
- Demoralized - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 2:01 pm:
==If LaHood runs for Governor, he beats Pritzker 55 to 45.==
LOL. Let me know what you are smoking. It seems like some pretty good stuff.
- JS Mill - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 2:09 pm:
= LOL. Let me know what you are smoking. It seems like some pretty good stuff=
+1.
I would love to see that debate. If LaHood ever had an original thought it would be a first.
- Dotnonymous x - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 2:24 pm:
- LOL. Let me know what you are smoking. It seems like some pretty good stuff. -
Don’t blame it on weed?
Cannabis enhances perception…it’s alcohol that dulls and confuses.
- Dotnonymous x - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 2:30 pm:
- If LaHood runs for Governor, he beats Pritzker 55 to 45. -
Nearly caused me to need a Heimlich.
To me?…LaHood looks like a deer caught in the headlights…perpetually.
- Adownstateguy - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 2:40 pm:
Pritzker may be confused on the politics here if he thinks he has any influence with Lahood. When you gerrymander downstate to such an extreme as they did, and make every red district +20, their challenge is in the primary not the general, and Republicans like Lahood. So in exchange for IL-17 being blue, Lahood can tell Pritzker to pound sand. But then again I don’t think lahood is the actual audience for his comments.
- Chicago Blue - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 2:41 pm:
@ Mason County.
You are vastly underestimating support for Medicaid.
“#4: Few Adults Want To See a Decrease in Federal Medicaid Spending
The February 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll found that few adults (17%) say they want to see Congress decrease federal spending on Medicaid. Most people say they want to see Congress either increase Medicaid spending (42%) or keep it about the same (40%). A majority of Democrats (64%) want Congress to increase spending on Medicaid while pluralities of independents (46%) and Republicans (43%) want to see Congress keep Medicaid funding about the same.”
- Incandenza - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 3:39 pm:
== while those evil Republicans cut your Medicaid because there isn’t enough money in the budget ==
The difference is that the national cuts to Medicaid are only needed because Congressional Republicans want to give hundreds of billions away to Musk and the wealthiest 1% in the country via tax cuts. It’s a manufactured crisis.
- Leslie K - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 5:11 pm:
===Come on, Cap’. You’re ignoring the obvious. The GOP wants to cut taxes on billionaires and millionaires and cut spending on the social safety net to do it. It isn’t the same.===
Absolutely agree.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Mar 24, 25 @ 5:42 pm:
===So few times I get to read comments and find Candy Dogood to be the “conservative” voice. ===
The Governor ending/limiting the expansion of Medicaid that he championed is a fair hit in a world where voters don’t do nuance, but it is very silly to suggest that the Governor making the decision to roll that back is anything like what the GOP’s budget malarky is going to do for Medicaid.
The cut that 800 billion from federal funding for Medicaid and the healthcare system as we know it, especially in more rural congressional districts, completely collapses. There’s nearly 160,000 people on Medicaid in the 16th congressional district.
What’s Darin’s plan for that? Pretend like they don’t exist with the same enthusiasm that he pretends like he doesn’t hear the question?
The Governor’s proposed cuts in Illinois are unfortunate. Pretending that the Governor has done the same thing as what the GOP has proposed nationally is like pretending that a single house on fire is the same thing as an entire city being razed.
It is intellectually dishonest.