CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Rep. Carol Ammons and Sen. Paul Faraci held a town hall where Champaign-Urbana could learn more and speak their minds on the issues affecting them.
Residents had the chance to submit their thoughts and questions to be read and answered on the rising energy costs in the state, cuts to social services and more.
The discussion opened up with a presentation by Ralph Martire, the executive director for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, and a professor of public policy at Roosevelt University. He said Illinois citizens could soon feel the negative effects of the federal cuts as a result of the Big Beautiful Bill, namely those enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.
"Somewhere between 8,200 and 51,000 people are going to die every single year. Preventable deaths that otherwise wouldn't have died because they are going to fall off of the Medicaid insurance program," Martire said, as he explained that these deaths could come from people who lose health insurance.
Ammons explained that she is committed to keeping vital programs afloat, but that it depends on the amount of federal money the state gets.
"We're going to do everything we can to advocate for you in the budget process, but we can't guarantee that we will be able to save all the programs based on the amount of dollars that come from the federal government to support our state," Ammons said.
They also hosted a panel focused on utility issues, where citizens had the option to learn more about saving on their monthly bills.
Ameren and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) suggested the following for those struggling to pay their Ameren bills:
- Participating in the Power Smart Pricing program
- Using Budget Billing
- Applying for Energy Assistance, like LIHEAP
- Starting a modified payment schedule
Overall, both CUB and Ameren suggest calling and speaking to a representative with Ameren to discuss how to lower your bill.
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