Medicaid Reform Critical to Balancing the Budget

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

News from the State House

As another week of the spring session passed, legislative committees met and talks with the governor’s office occurred regarding ways to balance the budget. The Governor is looking for direction as he develops his budget address for February 22.

You can’t talk about balancing the budget without focusing on the Medicaid program. It has grown into the largest health insurer in Illinois covering 2.8 million people and costing taxpayers close to $15 billion. Medicaid, in contrast to Medicare which covers those over 65 years of age and people who receive Social Security Disability Insurance, provides healthcare to low income families, the disabled and blind.

Medicaid covers one in five Illinois citizens, 2 of every three nursing home residents, half of all births and one of every three children. Our eligibility requirements are the most generous of any surrounding state except Wisconsin.

Bipartisan legislation passed last year directed the governor to implement numerous reforms that were intended to save the state an estimated $1.5 billion. Few of those reforms have been implemented. Instead he has allowed enrollment to grow 600,000 people in the last four years and he even asked the federal government a few weeks ago to expand Illinois Medicaid eligibility further. The expansion is only for Cook County and will allow 100,000 currently ineligible Chicagoans to now participate in the system.

If the governor even dreams of balancing the budget, he must begin with containing the growth of Medicaid. His administration says they are working toward that goal but their actions don’t follow the words. I continue to urge the governor to coordinate health care, streamline government agencies dealing with healthcare and rely more on community based care. The administration should also work with healthcare providers to manage patient care and reward best practices.

I will be greeting well over 140 couples on Valentine’s Day at Schnucks grocery store in DeKalb who have been married for over 50 years. Hopefully you too will pause on this day to consider the meaning of love and the value to our society of long-lasting relationships. I will return to Springfield on February 21.

District Office 815-748-3494 or E-Mail to bob@pritchardstaterep.com