By Sydney Sinks
ALTON – Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski and community members came together to discuss proposed cuts to Medicaid and how the impact this would have on the disability community.
On March 20, 2025, IMPACT Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Alton hosted a roundtable discussion with Budzinski and Medicaid recipients and providers, as well as representatives from Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Illinois DHS Rehabilitation Services, IMPACT CIL and the Illinois Council of Developmental Disabilities (ICDD). People shared their personal experiences with Medicaid, and Budzinski said she would take these conversations back to Washington.
“I’ve talked about the numbers, but this isn’t just about the numbers. This is about people’s lives,” Budzinski said. “This is about their livelihoods. This is about making sure that we have healthy communities. So I’m going to be fighting like hell in Washington, D.C., to make sure that these cuts do not go through.”
According to Budzinski, about $880 billion cuts are proposed at the federal level, with about $11 billion in Illinois. She added that the state would be unable to compensate for these cuts.
Cathy Contarino, executive director of IMPACT CIL, said these cuts would be “devastating” to individuals with disabilities. She noted that Medicaid benefits allow many people to live independently, and without these resources, “many individuals could end up back in nursing homes.”
Budzinski noted that there are three ways that Medicaid cuts would happen: work requirements, cutting federal assistance for the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), or creating Medicaid block grants. She said all of these “would be very devastating.”
George Hemberger, SEIU Member, led the roundtable discussion, which turned emotional at times. Ruth Atkins, a board member at IMPACT CIL, explained that she relies on Medicaid as an individual with paraplegia. Medicaid benefits allow her to maintain her wheelchair and receive assistance in her own home.
“I think about the fear of everything, then I think about the decline, then I think about the decay, and then I think about the death, because eventually, that’s what’s going to end up happening,” Atkins said. “People are not going to be able to get medical care, and they’re just going to begin to deteriorate in their own bodies, in their own homes.”
Janet Atwood, Illinois DHS Rehabilitation Services Recipient, and Robin Hamilton, Illinois DHS Rehabilitation Services Worker, told their personal stories of relying on Medicaid benefits to care for themselves and their loved ones. Atwood said the cuts to Medicaid would be “giving me my death bed.” Hamilton said her son would have died several times by now if not for the Medicaid benefits that allow her to care for him in their home.
Juandalynn Reese, Illinois DHS Rehabilitation Services Worker, shared the story of caring for her father and other clients that she now considers friends. She said the ratio of patients to workers in nursing homes is “ridiculous” and would worsen with these cuts. She added that she is not “lazy” but works hard and relies on Medicaid to fund her medication.
Adam Cooper, Former ICDD Member and Medicaid HCBS Beneficiary, and John Paschedag, ICDD Member and Medicaid HCBS Beneficiary, spoke about how the support they receive through Medicaid allow them to work and live independently. Kimberly Mercer-Schleider, ICDD Director, explained that discretionary services like those that Cooper and Paschedag receive would be the first to go if these cuts happen.
“What makes sense is protecting a program that serves millions of people and keeps us in the community,” Cooper said.
Budzinski thanked these community members for sharing their stories and said she would be taking them back to Washington with her to advocate for protections for Medicaid. She said it will be a “long fight,” but she encourages more “mobilization” with groups like SEIU, ICDD, IMPACT CIL and others.
“I’ve been in the United States all my life,” Atkins added as the roundtable concluded. “But for the first time in 71 years, I wonder: Am I in the right country?”
