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. On May 7, 2012, the Civic Federation sent this letter to Senator Gary Forby and the members of the Illinois General Assembly. The Civic Federation opposes SB 3564, as amended, which would revise the…
(CHICAGO) In a new report released today, the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability supports Governor Quinn’s proposed budget for FY2013. The $57.4 billion budget proposal acknowledges the depth of the State’s financial problems and would put Illinois finances on the road to recovery with major structural reforms to the State’s Medicaid program and pension systems. This…
The Civic Federation supports Governor Pat Quinn’s $57.4 billion FY2013 recommended operating budget, because it acknowledges the depth of the State’s financial problems and would put Illinois finances on the road to recovery with major structural reforms to the State’s Medicaid program and pension systems. The Governor’s proposed FY2013 budget makes several important steps toward Illinois’…
A key component of Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal to close the State of Illinois’ $2.7 billion Medicaid funding gap in FY2013 is an increase in the State’s cigarette tax. The Governor projects that a $1 a pack increase in the cigarette tax, to $1.98, would bring $337.5 million in new revenues to the State to pay for Medicaid expenses. Medicaid spending is reimbursed by the federal government at…
This editorial supports plans announced by Governor Quinn on April 19th for stabilizing the State’s Medicaid program with a combination of program cuts, rate reductions and additional revenues from a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax and resulting federal match funding. The Civic Federation commends Governor Quinn’s leadership in stepping forward with a plan that is reasonable, given the…
This column addresses Governor Quinn’s plan to stabilize Illinois’ debt-burdened Medicaid program following an April 19 announcement that outlined $2.7 billion in program cuts and additional revenues. The Civic Federation praises Governor Quinn’s plan to save the program and called on the General Assembly to adopt it, or identify alternate solutions with a comparable financial outcome.
This Tribune editorial urged advocacy groups to join those calling for reforms to the State of Illinois’ Medicaid program and pension systems because rising costs in these areas are increasingly squeezing out funding for all other State programs. It cited the Civic Federation’s projection that the State’s backlog of unpaid bills could rise from the current $8 billion to nearly $35 billion by…
UPDATE: On May 24, 2012 the Illinois General Assembly approved legislation to permit Cook County’s public health system to obtain federal funding for medical services for low-income adults under the Medicaid program. The plan must still be approved by the federal government. House Bill 5007 passed the House by a vote of 62 to 55 and the Senate by a vote of 35 to 22. The Cook County plan required…
(The full text of this article is available only to the publication's subscribers.) This overview of Illinois’ fiscal challenges focuses on rising costs in the State’s Medicaid program and pension systems. The article cites the Civic Federation’s projection that the State could accumulate nearly $35 billion in unpaid bills by FY2017 without dramatic policy changes.
With new attention being paid to the cost of the State of Illinois’ Medicaid program, it seems logical to ask why the total annual costs of the program are not reflected in the State’s budget. The answer lies in an obscure statutory provision, found in Section 25 of the State Finance Act, that allows Medicaid costs to be paid from future years’ appropriations. In simple terms, this provision…
