Illinois health professionals are concerned Governor Bruce Rauner's proposed Medicaid cuts could negatively impact kidney dialysis centers across the state.
In an effort to slash the state's $6 billion deficit, Gov. Rauner proposed $1.5 billion in Medicaid cuts. Health professionals in Illinois are concerned the cuts would prevent kidney dialysis patients from receiving treatment at the proper center. Instead, Dr. Tim Pflederer, president of Illinois Kidney Disease and Hypertension Center, said patients would receive treatments through an emergency room, which is "a lot more stressful for patients and more costly."
"What I think it boils down to is these patients suffer enough with their disease, and we need to do everything we can to maintain access to high quality, local convenient care," Pflederer added.
Other health professionals said fewer patients could cause several dialysis centers across the state to close. Of the 28,456 dialysis patients statewide, 40 percent of patients would be impacted by the cuts, Pflederer said.
For Howard Wetterow, his life is a giant waiting game.
The 64-year-old Knoxville, Illinois man suffers from Wagner's Disease which causes kidney failure. He receives dialysis treatment three days a week, four hours per day. Luckily, his drive to Fresenius Medical Care in Galesburg is only 15 minutes away.
"It's real convenient for me. I can get up; I can leave home and in 15 minutes, I can come in, get hooked up and as soon as your four hours are over, you go home," Wetterow said as he sat in his chair, receiving his treatment.
If Wetterow could no longer receive his treatment in Galesburg, he said he would be forced to travel to Monmouth or Peoria. However, other low-income patients may not have the means to travel.
Meanwhile, Democrats are urging the governor to raise taxes to offset the savings from Medicaid cuts.
The deadline for the new budget was May 31, 2015. Legislators recently presented a budget to the governor in which the Rauner Administration termed "broken" and "phony."
Lawmakers will return to the capitol for special sessions on the budget during the summer.