Citing Republicans' Own Words, Durbin Emphasizes The Harms To Hospitals & Patients In Republicans' 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin slammed the Republican reconciliation plan that will result in 16 million Americans losing health care coverage in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor underscoring the dangers of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will slash Medicaid,Affordable Care Act, and Medicare coverage for working Americans in order to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires. In his remarks, Durbin quoted his Republican colleagues, who have publicly expressed concerns about their own budget reconciliation bill, acknowledging that their constituents would lose their health care coverage and rural hospitals could close.
“The following statements are about President Trump’s so-called ‘big, beautiful’ bill. Try to guess whether a Senate Democrat or a Senate Republican made the following statement,” Durbin began. “‘If we don’t watch out, people are going to get hurt, people are going to be upset. It’s going to be the number one thing on the nightly news all over the place.’”
Durbin continued, “‘I’m concerned that if there are cutbacks in some of the Medicaid programs it could have an adverse effect on our rural hospitals… Many of them are barely making it now, financially.’ ‘This is a whole new system that is going to defund rural hospitals.’”
“If you guessed that all three statements were made by Senate Republicans about the Republican reconciliation bill, you’re right. Even my Republican colleagues know that under Trump’s plan, billionaires will win and American families will lose,” Durbin said.
Durbin noted that the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the Republican proposal would cost $4.2 trillion, but despite the hefty price tag, the legislation primarily helps billionaires at the expense of American working families. In fact, this legislation would provide a huge, permanent tax cut of nearly $350,000 for multimillionaires and billionaires while people earning $40,000 a year will see a comparatively meager average tax decrease of $442 per year.
“It is expensive,” Durbin said. “And does the proposal borrow against our future to lift millions of children out of poverty, or invest in clean energy jobs for the future that will grow our economy? Think again. The bill provides tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy… The richest people in the United States don’t need this tax cut. Working families do.”
Durbin emphasized that Americans have rejected Republicans’ proposal, with a majority of registered voters disapproving of the bill.
“It’s unpopular. A recent Fox News poll… found that 38 percent of registered voters supported the House passed bill, 59 percent opposed it,” Durbin said. “And it’s downright mean. This measure would be the most significant health care cut in American history. Sixteen million Americans would lose their health insurance.”
Durbin stressed the drastic impact of slashing Medicaid funding, which would result in the closure of hospitals in red and blue states, including Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. The legislation also includes a provision that would cripple the funding mechanism used to keep hospitals open. According to the Children’s Hospital Association, the “big, beautiful bill” would cut this funding source for most children’s hospitals by 42 percent.
“Take Children’s Mercy, it’s the children’s hospital in Kansas City, serving kids in Missouri and Kansas. Thirty-five percent of its revenue is from Medicaid, and the hospital operates with a five percent margin. If you take a chainsaw to Medicaid, families with sick kids who trust Children’s Mercy will have another worry on their minds. And in red and blue states, rural hospitals will be in jeopardy of closing,” Durbin said. “For what? A tax break for the wealthiest people in America.”
In Missouri, 250,000 individuals are expected to lose coverage if the Republican budget reconciliation bill passes, and Missouri hospitals would face an increase of $430 million in uncompensated care costs in a single year. Further, rural hospitals, which largely rely on Medicaid payments to remain operational, will be at critical risk of closure.
“Don’t take it from me. I recently spoke with the CEO of BJC Health, the largest hospital system in Missouri, and a third of their patients are from Illinois. I asked about their concerns with people losing insurance under this Republican bill…. BJC Health cares for more Medicaid patients than any other health organization in the region. More than one-third of BJC’s patients are covered by Medicaid—paying for one million visits each year,” Durbin said.
“It’s the same story for SSM Health, headquartered in St. Louis and operating nine hospitals in Missouri, including the famous Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. SSM’s CEO expressed her ‘deep concerns about proposed Medicaid changes,’ stating that the Republican bill ‘threaten[s] coverage for millions of people and jeopardize[s] financial stability of safety net providers like SSM Health,’” Durbin said. “For what? For a tax cut for the wealthiest people in America.”
“What would the cuts mean for rural hospitals in Missouri? Already, 10 rural hospitals are in jeopardy of closing. This Republican bill could be the final straw. And I hear exactly the same message across the river in Illinois,” Durbin said.
Durbin continued, pointing to examples of worried hospital leaders in Iowa who are concerned that they would not be able to provide essential health services to Iowans if Medicaid is slashed. Currently, 107,000 people in Iowa are projected to lose health insurance under this plan, which could increase annual uncompensated care costs for hospitals by nearly $190 million.
“I heard this message from UnityPoint Health, which has hospitals in Illinois and in Iowa. They told me that Medicaid covers nearly 40 percent of the children born at their hospital, and they rely on provider taxes to offer maternal, emergency, and behavioral health services. If Republicans have their way, these critical services are in jeopardy,” Durbin said.
“Todd Patterson, the CEO of Washington County Hospital in Iowa, said, ‘Medicaid is not a line item—it is a cornerstone … When policymakers in Washington … slash Medicaid funding … they are turning off the oxygen for rural health care,’” Durbin continued.
“My colleagues know these Medicaid cuts would be devastating. And no ‘band-aid’ hospital grant fund that Republicans are frantically trying to create will make up for this seismic hole,”Durbin said.
Durbin concluded his remarks by calling on his Republican colleagues to demonstrate loyalty to their constituents, not President Trump and his cruel crusade to offer billionaires a tax break at the expense of 16 million Americans losing health care coverage.
“Now is the real test for Senate Republicans… Will anyone rise to the occasion as John McCain did? We need four Republicans to stand up and say ‘enough,’” Durbin concluded.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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