A new report says repealing the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — would have a disproportionately negative effect in rural parts of Illinois.
The paper, from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, says a greater percentage of people in rural areas rely 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, because I’m afraid that this isn’t going to be available any more, and I wouldn’t be able to afford it,” she says.
The report says in Illinois, the percentage of uninsured adults in rural adults dropped by more than half — from 17 percent to 8 percent — after Obamacare became law.
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