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Urge Governor and Legislature to Protect Medicaid: IHA Position Papers

With the state facing a record budget deficit and rapidly declining revenues, the Governor and the General Assembly continue to face tremendous pressure to find ways to avoid massive cuts in or even shutdowns of major areas of state government, such as mental health facilities, veterans homes, or prisons. So far, the General Assembly has approved only a partial state budget for most areas of state government -- outside of hospitals, doctors, and nursing homes -- providing only half of the funding required, or $8.5 billion short of what's needed.

Republican legislative leaders are pushing for major spending cuts and measures such as increased HMO managed care for Medicaid. Following this week's latest round of talks between the Governor and legislative leaders, Gov. Quinn indicated that among the issues being discussed were Medicaid managed care and pension reforms.

ACTION REQUESTED: Contact the Governor and your state senator and representative and urge them NOT to consider imposing any drastic measures, including cuts or risk-based HMO managed care, which would undermine the Medicaid program and jeopardize the Hospital Assessment Program. It is critical that the Governor and legislators understand that such measures will NOT achieve the savings that some are claiming and will NOT solve the state's budget problems.

To send an email to your legislators to oppose a Republican proposal, Amendment #1 to Senate Bill 2169, that would harm the Medicaid program, click here.

Background documents on the Medicaid issue:

• Mandatory Increased Capitated Managed Care Will Jeopardize Billions in Federal Medicaid Funds (6/22/09)
• IHA White Paper on Medicaid (6/15/09)
• IHA Letter to House Republican Leader Tom Cross (6/15/09)
• IHA Letter to Chicago Tribune re: HMO Medicaid Managed Care (6/9/09)
• Hospitals are Major Contributors to the Illinois Medicaid Program
• IHA Responds to Taxpayer Action Board Report (6/4/09)
• Taxpayer Action Board Report (6/4/09) (Medicaid recommendations are on pages 27-45; minority reports objecting to many of the Board's recommendations are on pages 109-126; list of allies on the Medicaid issue is on page 120)
• IHA Testimony to Governor's Taxpayer Action Board Medicaid Subcommittee (5/8/09)
• IHA Statement to Governor's Taxpayer Action Board
• IHA Medicaid Testimony to Key House Committee (4/23/09)
• IHA Response to Senate Republican Recommendations on Medicaid (4/3/09)
• IHA Testimony to IL House Committee on Medicaid Reform (3/26/09)