The State of Illinois has unveiled more details about its plan to enroll elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and has announced that the plan is expected to save taxpayers nearly $200 million over five years. The new details about the HMO plan came in a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued on Friday, February 5, 2010. The State’s Department of…
The Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability recently released its examination of the State of Illinois’ enacted FY2010 budget. The analysis shows that the State already faces a two-year budget deficit going into FY2011 totaling at least $12.8 billion but it also revealed that the Governor plans to spend an addition $885 million before the fiscal year ends on June 30. If…
A plan by Governor Pat Quinn’s administration to enroll elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) has run into opposition from advocates for the disabled and is moving ahead more slowly than expected. As previously discussed in this blog, Governor Quinn hopes to enroll roughly 40,000 elderly and disabled beneficiaries in Northeastern Illinois—excluding…
Since its beginnings in July with the overhaul of the Civic Federation’s website, the IIFS blog has focused mostly on issues related to the Illinois budget, including Medicaid, debt, and the State pension system. These posts expand upon topics discussed in IIFS research publications and events in the news. Discussion about Illinois’ FY2010 budget and how the State was planning to bridge a two-…
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2010 include public pension reform, requiring state government to develop and implement performance measurement and a capital improvement plan, the dissolving of the Illinois International Port District, creating a new governing board for the Cook County Forest Preserve District, reinstating means-tested transit discounts for seniors, requiring…
Governor Pat Quinn’s administration plans to begin enrolling elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients in Northeastern Illinois—excluding the City of Chicago—in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in July of 2010. The pilot program, which is expected to cover about 40,000 people, represents the first time that Illinois’ Medicaid program has made enrollment in HMOs mandatory. The Illinois…
This article explores inefficiencies in the Cook County Health and Hospitals System and the effect that the partial rollback of the sales tax in Cook County may have on the System. The Civic Federation is quoted saying that the tax rollback does not necessarily mean that cuts must be made to the Hospital System to balance Cook County’s budget.
For anyone who missed a last ride on the tilt-a-whirl when Kiddieland closed last month, a quick review of our state’s fiscal situation can provide a similar type of stomach-churning, gravity-defying—though rather less pleasurable—experience. As Illinoisans endure the second year of a historic recession, Illinois government has no budget, no plan, a half-year’s worth of unpaid bills and sky-high…
While politicians, unions and other supporters of Howe Developmental Center fight to keep it open, a new report from the U.S. Justice Department has raised more questions about Howe’s viability. The report is the result of a federal investigation that began in 2007 under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. The Justice Department found that Howe failed to protect its residents from…
Tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients and doctors were involved in potentially fraudulent or abusive purchases of prescription drugs in 2006 and 2007 in five states, including Illinois, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO examined cases of potential “doctor shopping,” in which a patient used at least six different doctors. Visits to numerous…
