2025 Advocacy Priorities

As we enter 2025, Legal Council for Health Justice stands prepared to confront historic challenges head-on.

We have heard the threats to the safety and dignity of many communities, including LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, individuals with disabilities, women, and immigrants. The incoming administration’s plans to dismantle the social safety net—targeting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, Social Security, and Education funding—require us to pivot our efforts from enrollment and increased access to protection of existing programs.

We are fortunate to live in a state that has long prioritized healthcare access, but even here, the road ahead will be challenging. Our strategic priorities will focus on shoring up state protections, supporting the federal fight against harmful cuts, building community-level advocacy, and ensuring any imposed reductions are implemented with care and humanity. Read on to learn about our advocacy priorities for 2025.

In 2025, Legal Council will focus on:

1. Shoring Up Protections in Illinois: We will look to strengthen state-level safeguards to ensure healthcare access remains robust despite federal threats.
2. Supporting the Fight Against Federal Medicaid Cuts: We will defend Medicaid and Marketplace subsidies against federal restrictions that could harm vulnerable populations.
3. Building Community-Level Support: We do not do this work alone. We’ll work with our partners to foster grassroots advocacy for health coverage access across Illinois.
4. Advocating for Strategic Implementation of Cuts: We know we’ll need to mitigate the harm of federally imposed healthcare cuts in Illinois through thoughtful and humane state policies.
5. Protecting Access to Health Care for LGBTQ+ Individuals: We will work with state leaders to safeguard access to health care and coverage for LGBTQ+ communities in Illinois.
6. Fighting Changes to Social Security Programs that Disproportionately Impact Low-Income and Unhoused Individuals: We stand ready to prevent further devolution of benefits for low-income people with disabilities in the face of federal threats.
7. Advocate to Protect Public Education with a Focus on Special Education Services for Students with Disabilities: We will continue advocacy to protect students with disabilities’ rights to a free and appropriate public education.

Legal Council’s history of advocacy in the darkest moments, from the early days of the HIV epidemic to today, proves our resilience. We meet the challenges ahead, advocating for justice, equity, and the dignity of every person. Together, we can protect and expand access to essential healthcare and social supports for all Illinoisans.