As you may know by now, the Big Beautiful Bill, which includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in history, has passed on party lines in Congress and been signed by the President. This law will significantly worsen health disparities by limiting access to affordable care, slashing funding for community health programs, and rolling back protections that BIPOC communities rely on. These actions will disproportionately harm those who already face systemic barriers to care due to racism, poverty, and historical disinvestment in their health.
We know that this is a hard loss, and like most organizations and communities, we are still processing this new reality. However, because of the advocacy in Illinois and across the country, there were some important wins. For example, we were successful in removing from the final bill a provision that penalized states that use their own funds to provide health care for undocumented immigrants and a provision that banned Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for youth, among others.
We also have process wins that are going to be important as we move forward. Protect Our Care IL placed more than 100 stories on the importance of Medicaid for Illinois families in local and national media of all kinds, including this important story. We made thousands of calls to Congress, educated tens of thousands of people on the bill in key Congressional districts, and even drove a mobile billboard around Congressman Darin LaHood’s district in the days before the final House vote.
We didn’t kill this bill as we so badly wanted, but this fight is not over. There remain opportunities to block, delay, and mitigate harm while we dream of the better future we can and will build together. Our advocacy against cuts to health care has increased understanding of the important role that Medicaid plays in the lives of so many people across Illinois and once again affirmed that there is massive support for our vision of a more just, accessible, compassionate healthcare system. The work to make that vision a reality doesn’t end today–it becomes more urgent than ever.
EverThrive IL will continue to defend communities most impacted by injustice because health equity is not optional—it is a human right. We will work with advocates, health care providers, and our state to hold those who voted to take health care away from 17 million people accountable, to educate communities on what this means for them, and to reduce the harm this bill can cause as much as possible. We will also continue to demand better and advance policies that uplift, invest in, and protect the health of all communities in Illinois. Lastly, and most importantly, we will continue to rely on one another and our communities to build the healthy and thriving future that we deserve.
Donate today as we continue to defend healthcare for all Illinoisans