Medicaid is as American as apple pie—and it’s turning 60. It’s one of the most effective, popular health insurance programs in U.S. history. In Illinois, Medicaid covers 3.4 million people, including 40% of all pregnancies, nearly 40% of children, one in six adults, one in three people with disabilities, and the majority of long-term care, behavioral health, and HIV services. It is a cornerstone of health care access for low-income individuals and families and a key tool in the fight for health equity. 

Despite this, federal Republican officials continue to push devastating proposals to slash Medicaid funding. These include block grants, per-capita caps, work requirements, and cutting Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion dollars. Their plan is clear: strip health care from millions of people to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. 

Health & Medicine is taking action to protect Medicaid and demand a system that puts people over profits. We are calling on elected officials to: 

• Reject all Medicaid cuts in the federal budget resolution 

• Oppose efforts to impose work requirements or restrict access through block grants 

• Preserve and expand Medicaid as a well-funded entitlement 

• Invest in the future of health care by building toward universal, publicly funded coverage 

Medicaid is a federal-state partnership. In FY2023, Illinois received $21 billion in federal Medicaid dollars—about 65% of our state’s total Medicaid spending. Any cut would be catastrophic, leading to hospital closures, reduced services, lost jobs, and unnecessary deaths. 

As Policy Director Wesley Epplin wrote in his recent op-ed in Crain’s Chicago Business, “Politicians seeking to cut Americans’ health care access should scrap their evil plans and keep their greedy hands off of Medicaid.” 

How you can help: 

Join us at upcoming rallies and press conferences (please check in frequently on our social media pages for more information on upcoming opportunities). 

We are actively seeking support from individual donors, foundations, and coalitions that wish to protect Medicaid in Illinois and beyond. Your partnership helps us advocate for lifesaving programs and defend the right to health care. 

For more information or to support this work, contact Wesley Epplin, Policy Director, at wepplin@hmprg.org. 

Health care is a human right. Medicaid must be protected. 

The Fund Public Health campaign demands a public health system capable of meeting our public health needs and eliminating health inequities.

Having well-funded and robustly staffed health departments is critical to advancing health equity and public health. For too long, elected officials have underfunded and under-staffed our health departments, ill-prepared for pandemics, heat waves, and the day-to-day public health problems we face. This must change.

The Fund Public Health campaign works to advance the following priorities:

• $25 million more in the FY2025 City of Chicago Corporate Fund budget for the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Here’s the letter to Cook County officials with 80+ organizations signed on.
• $23 millions more in the FY2025 Cook County Corporate Fund budget for the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH).
• Both City and County officials must fix the HR problems and slow hiring processes that plague both CDPH and CCDPH

Our two letters to local officials have now had 80+ organizations signed on:

Read our letter to Chicago officials

Read our letter to Cook County officials

Health departments need increased funding to hire staff to advance health equity and both protect and promote public health. As examples, funds could be used to hire community health workers, sanitarians, communicable disease case investigators, lead risk assessors, community health assessment and planning, and emergency preparedness.

The stakes are high. As one example of a health inequity that requires action, there is an 11-year life expectancy health inequity between Black Chicagoans and others. Health inequities, by definition, are unfair, unjust, and remediable. But the remedies require, in part, public health staff to work on the various interventions to support public health.

Sign on as a supporter of Illinois Aging Together!

Nearly a year after Governor JB Pritzker issued an executive order establishing a planning commission to develop a multi-sector plan for aging in Illinois, Illinois Aging Together — a campaign for aging equity led by Health & Medicine Policy Research Group — continues to advance this critical work. The executive order, issued in August 2024, marked a significant milestone in our efforts to ensure Illinois creates a long-term, coordinated, and inclusive plan that supports people as they age across their life course. 

This exciting step forward is the result of years of advocacy by Illinois Aging Together and our coalition of 190+ organizational supporters. The executive order builds directly on our earlier proposed legislation, the Aging Equity Act, and marks a historic commitment by our state to develop a long-term, cross-sector plan that centers aging equity across the life course. 

With nearly 3.5 million Illinoisans projected to be over the age of 65 by 2025, and the number of people aged 85 and older doubling since 2000, Illinois urgently needs a coordinated, equity-focused roadmap that supports people aging in place, families, caregivers, and their communities. 

The new planning commission, which includes the task force and community advisory council, convenes leaders from across state government and community members to develop a 10-year strategic action plan, creating a more just, inclusive Illinois where all people can live, work, and age with dignity and support. The Illinois Multi-sector plan for Aging will be completed by December 31, 2025, with yearly progress reports to follow.  

This moment is a major milestone—but it’s only the beginning. Illinois Aging Together remains a grassroots campaign, and your continued support is vital. 
By signing on, you: 

• Show your support for aging equity in Illinois 

• Stay informed about the progress of the planning commission 

• Receive opportunities to engage in future advocacy and community events 

Sign on to add your voice to the movement and help shape the future of aging in Illinois.