A new report says that repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, would have a disproportionately negative effect in rural Illinois.
The paper, released by the Georgetown University Center For Children and Families, says a greater percentage of people in rural areas relies on Medicaid than their urban counterparts.
Among them is Debbie Clem of Carman, a tiny town in west-central Illinois. She says her daughter has psychological problems, and the cost of medication alone is “more than [she] can handle.”
“I’ve taken her off some of the medications,” she says, "because I’m afraid that this isn’t going to be available any more, and I wouldn’t be able to afford it."
SIHF Healthcare operates clinics across the central and southern regions of the state. Organization president Larry McCulley adds that jobs typically aren't replaced when jobs disappear from rural areas. This, he says, makes the healthcare safety net especially important for rural residents.
The Georgetown report says the percentage of uninsured adults in rural areas dropped by more than half — from 17 percent to 8 percent — after Obamacare became law.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a law repealing Obamacare earlier this year, but the legislation faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Senate.