Governor J.B. Pritzker’s FY2020 budget features an array of revenue-raising proposals, such as recreational cannabis and sports betting, that have attracted considerable attention. Another idea is less flashy but just as important to next year’s budget: a tax on health insurance plans. As outlined by the Governor, the tax on managed care organizations (MCOs) would generate $390 million to be used in place of general operating funds to pay for State Medicaid costs. The tax would also result in…
A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Medicaid enrollment declined by 0.6% across the United States in 2018—the first nationwide drop since 2007. The decrease was linked to a stronger economy, which caused more people to gain jobs and health insurance, as well as increased efforts in some states to verify eligibility. The Kaiser study did not provide enrollment information for individual states. Data on the State of Illinois’ website, which is not strictly comparable to the…
(CHICAGO) In a report released today, the Civic Federation announced support for Cook County’s proposed FY2019 budget. The $5.9 billion budget proposal is structurally balanced without raising new taxes and continues the practice of making supplemental pension payments. The full report is available here. “Overall, this budget is a prudent plan for the coming year—but it fails to set its sights much further,” said Civic Federation President Laurence Msall. “While there are many positive aspects…
Click here to read the full report. The Civic Federation supports Cook County’s proposed FY2019 budget of $5.9 billion because it is structurally balanced without raising new taxes and continues the practice of making supplemental pension payments. The Federation is encouraged by the County’s strong level of fund balance reserves and its commitment to performance-based budgeting and mid-year preliminary forecast hearings. The Federation further applauds the County’s continued…
The following news items cover the release of the Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation's analysis of the State of Illinois FY2019 Recommended Operating Budget. The Federation could not support Governor Bruce Rauner’s recommended budget because it is precariously balanced and its modest surplus relies on aggressive assumptions. Additionally, the proposal does little to address Illinois’ massive backlog of bills. ----- Chicago Sun-Times: Civic…
Click here to read the full report. The Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability is not able to support Governor Bruce Rauner’s recommended FY2019 budget because it is precariously balanced and its modest surplus relies on aggressive assumptions. Additionally, the proposal does little to address Illinois’ massive backlog of bills. While the Civic Federation is encouraged by the improved financial condition of the State, Illinois still faces severe fiscal problems,…
The following are the five most read blog posts presented by the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability in 2017. These posts discuss issues ranging from Medicaid expansion to the end of Illinois’ historic two-year budget impasse and related legislation. A Review of Medicaid Expansion in Illinois under the Affordable Care Act January 12, 2017 Medicaid expansion was a key feature of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), designed to reduce the number of people without health insurance. While…
This article discusses how a proposed replacement for the Affordable Care Act could create issues for the State of Illinois’ Medicaid expansion program and ultimately the Illinois economy. A cited blog post from the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation says that Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act has brought in billions of dollars in new federal funds for Illinois hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other healthcare providers at no cost to the State.
The Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation today released its annual Roadmap, with recommendations to restore fiscal balance to Illinois. Illinois has gone more than 19 months without a full-year, comprehensive budget. This prolonged delay— unprecedented in recent history—is the result of a political struggle between Democratic legislators who control the General Assembly and a Republican Governor who took office in January 2015. A stopgap appropriations package…
Surveys show that Americans are divided in their views of the Affordable Care Act. With the incoming administration in Washington vowing to dismantle the federal healthcare law, this blog post examines Illinois’ expansion of the Medicaid program under the act. Medicaid expansion was a key feature of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), designed to reduce the number of people without health insurance. While much of the debate about the 2010 law has focused on its insurance marketplaces, the Medicaid…
