Durbin Hears from Hospital Leaders on Local Impact of Republican Plan to Repeal Affordable Care Act

Press Release

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with hospital CEOs--including four from federally-designated Critical Access Hospitals -- to discuss the local impact of congressional Republicans' plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This month, Republican leaders took the first step in repealing the law by approving a budget that allows for major provisions of the ACA to be eliminated by simple majority vote. On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order giving federal agencies broad authority to undo regulations created by the ACA.

"Congressional Republicans are insisting on fully repealing the Affordable Care Act, without developing or enacting a replacement plan. In Illinois and nationwide, this strategy threatens to disrupt our entire healthcare system -- subjecting patients, providers, hospitals, and insurers to chaos," Durbin said. "We have more than 50 Critical Access Hospitals in Illinois that are heavily dependent on the Medicaid program and face the loss of billions in federal funding if Republicans are successful at repealing our health care system. I will continue fighting to protect the gains we have made under the ACA, and continue to support patients in need and the providers -- like the Critical Access Hospital leaders that joined me today -- that serve them."

Congressional Republicans have said they will repeal and dismantle the Affordable Care Act through a procedural move called "reconciliation." In the Senate, this allows Republicans to repeal the law with a simple majority vote, versus the normal 60 vote margin usually necessary to pass legislation. Last week, every House Republican in Illinois voted in favor of repealing the law without a replacement.

The Illinois Hospital Association estimates that repealing the ACA would result in losses of $11.6 to $13.1 billion in annual economic activity and 84,000 to 95,000 job losses throughout the state.

Today Durbin met with CEOs from the following Critical Access Hospitals: Carlinville Area Hospital, Pana Community Hospital, Hopedale Medical Center and Warner Hospital and Health Services in Clinton. He was also joined by the CEOs of Memorial Medical Center and SIU Medicine. According to the Illinois Hospital Association, the areas served by these hospitals would lose an estimated $900 million in annual economic activity and more than 6,500 jobs if the ACA is repealed.

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