WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Robert Sehring, Chief Operating Officer of OSF Healthcare System, to discuss Congressional Republicans’ efforts to repeal health care without any replacement plan and the impact this would have on OSF’s hospitals and providers across Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin and Mr. Sehring also discussed how the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs contribute to premium increases and place a substantial burden on hospitals statewide.
“I’ve heard from hospitals, doctors, and nurses from across Illinois and around the country who all tell me the same thing: repealing health care without a replacement would mean chaos for Illinois,” said Durbin.“Simply put, in Illinois repealing health care without a replacement would mean 1.2 million people would lose health insurance, including 650,000 individuals who are newly eligible or enrolled in Medicaid. I sincerely hope that President Trump and Congressional Republicans heed the warnings of our physicians and hospitals, who are telling us not to repeal the Affordable Care Act in a hurried, political rush.”
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The Illinois Hospital Association estimates that repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would result in losses of $11.6 to $13.1 billion in annual economic activity and 84,000 to 95,000 job losses throughout the state. If health care is repealed without a replacement, Illinois would lose $37.4 billion in federal Medicaid spending between 2019 and 2028. Nationally, more than 20 million people have gained health insurance because of the ACA. In 2015, the uninsured rate fell below 10 percent for the first time in our nation’s history.
OSF Healthcare is an integrated health system comprised of 11 acute care facilities – 10 of which are in Illinois – and two colleges of nurses. Their largest hospital – OSF Saint Francis Medical Center – is located in Peoria, Illinois. OSF Healthcare serves approximately three million patients annually with a physician network of over 1,000 primary care, specialist physicians, and advanced practice providers.
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