Portside

The President's budget is a reflection of the administration's priorities. And this administration and their GOP co-horts in Congress want to slash over a trillion dollars with cuts to programs for some of the nation's most vulnerable. A massive increase in the military budget and war preparations comes at the expense of slashing all kinds of social programs.

Here's how we could raise more money from those who have the most and invest it social insurance, public investments, and safety nets that would make the vast majority of Americans richer.

Because Republicans have been so successful in keeping many of their residents from getting insurance, they think the country should trust them to overhaul heath care.

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By rushing this bill through Congress, Republicans are creating a manufactured crisis that will devastate millions of families. GOP Trumpcare plan is a disaster. It would take away health care from millions of people, cost thousands more for middle-class and low-income Americans, and strip protections from people with pre-existing conditions, all to give a massive tax break to insurance company CEOs and the wealthiest Americans.

Cutting off Planned Parenthood from Medicaid reimbursements really means cutting off Medicaid recipients from Planned Parenthood. Women should have the same rights as members of Congress, the right to choose the health-care provider that provides them high-quality, affordable care in their community.

While Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans campaigned on undoing the Affordable Care Act, no one ran on undermining Medicare or Medicaid. No one ran on undermining the health security of seniors. But the so-called repeal and replacement of the ACA would do just that.

Medicaid spending exceeds half a trillion dollars, and the program represents more than half of all federal funds spent by states. Medicaid has changed dramatically from its beginnings as a program largely for women and children on welfare. It now has more than 70 million beneficiaries, and its reach is so broad that almost two-thirds of Americans say that they, a family member or a friend have been covered by Medicaid at some point.

Without the Medicaid expansion, low-income people across the country would be left with no pathway to affordable health coverage. Repealing the Medicaid expansion would eliminate health coverage for up to, and quite possibly more than, 11 million low-income Americans in the 31 states (plus the District of Columbia) that have taken up this option.

As the state budget impasse enters its eleventh month, Progress Illinois examines how mental health services and providers have been impacted.