Medicaid is unchanged for now, Cook County officials say, amid a spike in misinformation and confusion
Vikki Radford credits access to health care through CountyCare, a Medicaid plan, for keeping her alive by allowing her doctors to detect two types of cancers in the early stages.
Radford, 64, of Chatham, still undergoes check-ups every four months though she no longer has cervical and breast cancers. And now, she’s speaking out and urging others with Medicaid to do everything they can to keep their coverage.
“Health coverage, to me, is not a privilege, it is a right,” Radford said. “I don’t care what color you are, what creed you are, what gender, your income status, I don’t care. Health coverage is a right, point blank and simple. And we cannot let these lawmakers do what they’re trying to do.”
She joined Cook County officials Tuesday to urge Medicaid enrollees to continue renewing their coverage this year and use their benefits to seek preventive care. Aaron Galeener, chief administrative officer for CountyCare, said their office has gotten calls from residents who are confused about eligibility or if the medical insurance program aimed at helping low-income people will continue to exist at all.
“If you qualified for Medicaid yesterday, you still have it today,” Galeener said.
The tax and spending plan, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” by President Donald Trump, that passed by Congress last summer made significant changes to Medicaid. These include including new work requirements and requiring recipients to confirm their eligibility twice a year. But Cook County officials stressed that those changes won’t start until January 2027, and states are still waiting for more information from federal officials about the work requirements.
In the meantime, Medicaid enrollees, even if they aren’t part of CountyCare, can attend one of the county’s redetermination events this month. Additional information about the events can be found at, https://countycare.com/news-and-events/.
There are more than 400,000 people enrolled in CountyCare. Officials say they have already started to see a decrease in the number of people enrolled in Medicaid in Cook County. In September, there was a decrease of 15,600 Medicaid enrollees in Cook County, according to county officials.
State officials estimate anywhere from 190,000 to 360,000 residents in Illinois could lose Medicaid coverage because of the new work requirements, said Elizabeth Whitehorn, director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said it’s critical for local officials to work together to expand and protect access to Medicaid, saying the people who will be most impacted are children, seniors and people living with disabilities.
“This is a confusing and frightening time,” Preckwinkle said. “It represents abject failure in leadership by lawmakers who are making decisions without regard to real lives and needs of their constituents.”
Radford said many Medicaid enrollees, like herself, are already employed. She works two housekeeping jobs, but she is usually not able to get 40 hours of work in a week. That means her income tends to fluctuate and isn’t stable.
Last year, she briefly lost coverage because she made more money than she usually makes in one month. But she was able to get her benefits restored and is now in the process of scheduling a hernia surgery.
“Even though I got my medical coverage back, I have to fight for others who don’t have it and [are] going through trouble,” Radford said. “I went through anxiety, fear, I was scared because, [at] my age and the underlying conditions that I have, let’s put it simple — I could die.”