Strengthening Healthcare for the Underserved in Illinois
The Project: The Governor’s Office asked Civic Consulting Alliance to convene patients, providers, and community leaders across the Chicago region to help Illinois respond to federal healthcare funding cuts under HR1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act). Between April and June 2026, our team designed and facilitated 10 listening sessions that reached more than 225 participants, then synthesized what we heard into a report that will help lay the foundation for strengthening Illinois' health ecosystem.
The Outcome: Across the sessions, 225+ stakeholders provided direct input to State policy, informing IDPH's Report on Patient Access and Care to the General Assembly, due January 31, 2027, and Illinois' FY27–FY28 planning.
Clients: Office of the Governor of Illinois,
Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services,
Illinois Department of Public Health
Opportunity
Like other states, Illinois’ health ecosystem faces significant uncertainty as federal changes enacted through HR1 (One Big Beautiful Bill) will cut Medicaid coverage, enact additional work requirements and more frequent redeterminations, and raise the out-of-pocket costs for those buying healthcare from the Affordable Care marketplace. In Illinois, HR1 puts more than 300,000 people at risk of losing Medicaid coverage and threatens $51 billion in federal funding over the next decade.
The loss of coverage places substantial pressure on patients and Illinois’ more than 200 hospitals, particularly the over 30 safety net hospitals, which serve a high share of Medicaid and uninsured patients. The hospital system as a whole was already strained, and now communities are experiencing safety net hospital closures and threats of closure, particularly on Chicago’s South and West sides. Reduced access will affect care across the system and may exacerbate inequities in Chicago, including the life expectancy gap where residents of the Loop live 18 years longer than residents of West Garfield Park.
In spring 2026, Governor Pritzker signed a Medicaid Omnibus Bill aimed at strengthening Illinois’ healthcare system, increasing hospital oversight, and expanding long-term care funding ahead of anticipated federal changes to Medicaid. The bill mandates that the Illinois Department of Public Health deliver a healthcare system reform report with findings and recommendations for how Illinois can develop a sustainable response to the health system crisis and move from a series of individual fixes to holistic solutions grounded in lived experience.
The Governor's Office asked Civic Consulting Alliance to convene patients, community leaders, and providers across Chicago and the collar counties as an input to their work to ensure that every Illinois community has access to high-quality care. The geographic focus complemented substantial engagement already completed downstate through the new Rural Health Transformation Program.
300,000+
Illinoisans at risk, at a minimum, of losing Medicaid coverage under HR1 by 2034*
$51 billion
Federal funding Illinois stands to lose over the next decade*
225+
Patients, providers, and community leaders shared their perspectives on health policy
Action
Between April and June 2026, our team designed and facilitated 10 listening sessions reaching more than 225 participants.
Civic Consulting Alliance was well positioned to convene health stakeholders, drawing on long-standing relationships across State agencies, County health departments, and community-based organizations. And do so on a timeline that could inform the State's FY27-FY28 budget and legislative planning.
6 Patient sessions: Engaged 163 patients — three in community-based locations on Chicago's Northwest, West, and South Sides, reaching 89 participants from nearly half of the city's 60 zip codes; and three held with the DuPage, Lake, and Will County Health Departments, reaching 74 participants across 32 zip codes.
3 Healthcare provider sessions: Convened hospitals designated as safety nets by the State's Medicaid program, federally qualified health centers, free and charitable clinics, and academic medical centers and health systems.
1 Community leader session: Leaders from community, advocacy, and faith-based organizations joined a virtual session on care delivery, quality, and opportunities to improve patient outcomes.
Sessions were designed to maximize engagement and tailored to participants’ needs and expertise. Where appropriate, facilitation and materials were bilingual in English and Spanish, and participants were compensated through support from philanthropic partners.
Our team then synthesized verbal, written, and visual inputs across all 10 sessions into themes, and held virtual briefings with stakeholders to share findings before publishing the report.
Thank you to the community partners who made these sessions possible: DuPage, Lake, and Will County Health Departments; Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation; Lawndale Christian Health Center; Northwest Center; Rush University Medical Center; Think and Do, LLC; and West Side United.
Client Perspective
“I want to thank Civic Consulting Alliance for its partnership in organizing these discussions and synthesizing the feedback, as well as the many community organizations, healthcare providers, local leaders, and residents who generously shared their time and experiences. These stakeholder perspectives, with additional data analysis and policy evaluation, will help identify strategies for protecting and strengthening healthcare access for Illinois residents in the years ahead.”
—
Grace B. Hou, Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services, State of Illinois
Impact
Community voice is a direct input to Illinois' health policymaking. Stakeholders shared a vision for a more integrated, community-centered model. Quality care is the North Star goal, with broad agreement on the need for stronger coordination between primary, specialty, and emergency care as well as social services, and strong support for co-located, “one-stop” models in community-based settings. Cost and coverage instability limit patients' access and strain providers' ability to deliver consistent, high-quality services.
The Work Continues
Our CCA team will support facilitation of an Advisory Committee of statewide community and health leaders and a Community Council to ensure the report is rooted in the needs of Illinois patients and communities. The Advisory Committee’s input will help inform the State's ability to translate the report’s findings into meaningful actions.
The findings will inform an independent report on Patient Access and Care that the Health Policy Research Center, based at Massachusetts General Hospital, is preparing for the Illinois General Assembly, due January 31, 2027. The legislatively mandated report will build on stakeholder perspectives with epidemiological analysis, policy evaluation, and resource strategies to protect and strengthen Illinois’ health ecosystem.
Citation: Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, “FY27 Legislative Appropriations Committee Presentation,” April 16, 2026