WATCH: IL Hospital Association: $50B rural hospital fund ‘woefully inadequate’

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues sounding the alarm over federal health care subsidies as the White House insists it’s shoring up benefits for those who deserve them.

Pritzker took part in a roundtable discussion Friday in Southern Illinois and said people will die because of estimated reductions in health care subsidies.

“And it’s all because they want to provide a massive tax cut for the wealthiest people in the country,” Pritzker said. “I just don’t understand the thinking.”

Last week in Georgia, Vice President J.D. Vance was asked about Democrats’ criticism that the law will remove people from the health care subsidies. Vance said the law President Donald Trump signed is meant to preserve benefits for those who deserve them.

“The only people that we say should not get free government health care benefits are illegal aliens and those who refuse to try to even look for a job,” Vance said. “It’s very common sense.”

The federal law includes a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals nationwide to utilize for equipment they need to continue operation. Vance said those with concerns should take note.

“We put a lot of resources and a lot of changes and regulations to make it possible for our rural hospitals to stay open despite what the Biden administration did to them for four years,” Vance said.

Illinois Hospital Association President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi acknowledged the $50 billion fund for rural hospitals.

“But I think we would all agree that when we’re talking about $50 billion out of a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid, that is woefully inadequate,” Wilhelmi said sitting next to Pritzker Friday. “Nevertheless, these funds are critically important to rural hospitals and providers in this room and across the state of Illinois.”

According to the IHA, Illinois has 86 small and rural hospitals in the state, making up 38% of all hospitals statewide.