UPDATE: Cook County has received federal approval for a Medicaid expansion plan that is projected to bring in $99 million in net revenues in FY2013 and is a key component of the County’s FY2013 budget. The approval, announced by the County on October 26, 2012, means that an estimated 250,000 low income Cook County residents will have early access to Medicaid coverage before Medicaid expansion…
A $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase enacted by the State of Illinois in June to help fund the State’s Medicaid program is bringing in far less revenue than originally expected and could fall short of projections by as much as $125.7 million. However, due to the way the tax was enacted it is not expected to have a major impact on Medicaid funding. The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) has…
Reflecting severe financial pressures, the State of Illinois pushed an estimated $3.6 billion of Medicaid and group health insurance bills from FY2012 into the current fiscal year. The new estimate is based on documents filed in connection with the State’s bond offering on September 13, 2012. The $3.6 billion in deferred bills in FY2012 compares with $1.7 billion in FY2011. As discussed here, a…
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on national healthcare reform, Illinois officials plan to seek authorization from the Illinois General Assembly to participate in the expansion of the Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act. Julie Hamos, Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, told members of the agency’s Medicaid Advisory Committee at a…
Cook County’s public health system faces significant financial challenges in fiscal year 2013, although the outlook could improve if the federal government signs off on a plan to expand Medicaid coverage in advance of national healthcare reform. New financial projections for the Cook County Health and Hospitals System were included in the Preliminary Budget Estimates report for FY2013, issued on…
This article looks at the fiscal health of states around the country coming out of the recession. While many states are experiencing economic recovery, Illinois and California are still facing large budget gaps. The Civic Federation said Illinois will end FY2012 with over $8 billion in unpaid bills, even after the Illinois General Assembly closed a $2.7 billion gap in the State’s Medicaid program…
State of Illinois officials expect unpaid Medicaid bills to decline to $600 million by the end of the 2013 budget year, but that prediction depends on legislation that has not yet passed the Senate. As discussed here, unpaid Medicaid bills on hand were projected to reach nearly $1.9 billion by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, 2012, due largely to significant underfunding of the…
The following opinion piece by Civic Federation President Laurence Msall was published by Crain's Chicago Business on June 1, 2012. Yesterday was a most disappointing day in the State of Illinois. Efforts to stabilize the State’s broken pension system dissolved last night amid confusion and acrimony in the Illinois General Assembly. Illinois lawmakers must do better and the recent passage of…
This blog post was updated on June 4, 2012 to reflect corrected information. With just hours to go before a midnight adjournment deadline, the Illinois General Assembly has passed most components of a legislative package designed to eliminate a projected $2.7 billion gap in the Medicaid budget for FY2013. The bills, which are expected to be signed by Governor Pat Quinn, include Medicaid program…
On May 7, 2012, the Civic Federation sent this letter to Senator Gary Forby and the members of the Illinois General Assembly. Click here to read the Civic Federation's Position Statement on SB 3564. Update: On May 9, 2012, the Illinois Senate narrowly rejected Senate Bill 3564. The vote was 29 to 23, with one member voting present. Passage requires a majority vote of the 59 Senate members.…
