Governor Pat Quinn’s administration is promoting a plan for Medicaid health maintenance organizations (HMOs) as a major reform initiative, but several legislators have introduced bills in the General Assembly that would slow or restrict the plan. The pilot program would enroll roughly 40,000 disabled and elderly Medicaid recipients in Northeastern Illinois—excluding Chicago—in HMOs. The plan would mark the first time that HMO enrollment has been mandatory for Medicaid recipients in the State of…
An Analysis of the State’s Fiscal Crisis and Actionable Recommendations for Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly Please visit the Illinois Fiscal Rehabilitation Plan web page for a comprehensive look at the report. This report describes the basis of the State of Illinois’ fiscal crisis and presents the Civic Federation’s plan for rehabilitating the State’s finances. The plan proposes measures to substantially reduce the current budget deficit in FY2011 and to place the State…
Proposes Comprehensive Package to Address State Budget Crisis Please visit the Illinois Fiscal Rehabilitation Plan web page for a comprehensive look at the report. CHICAGO – The Civic Federation, a 116 year-old government research organization, released today its plan to salvage the State of Illinois’ finances. “A Fiscal Rehabilitation Plan for the State of Illinois” calls for a comprehensive package of budget cuts, pension reforms, and revenue increases to put Illinois on solid financial…
This article discusses how the Cook County Health and Hospital System ended 2009 $42 million under budget. The Civic Federation says that the Health System is showing progress under its new management and board.
The State of Illinois has unveiled more details about its plan to enroll elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and has announced that the plan is expected to save taxpayers nearly $200 million over five years. The new details about the HMO plan came in a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued on Friday, February 5, 2010. The State’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) plans to choose two HMOs to provide Medicaid-covered services to 37,737…
The Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability recently released its examination of the State of Illinois’ enacted FY2010 budget. The analysis shows that the State already faces a two-year budget deficit going into FY2011 totaling at least $12.8 billion but it also revealed that the Governor plans to spend an addition $885 million before the fiscal year ends on June 30. If other revenues are not identified, or cuts made in other areas, this additional spending could…
A plan by Governor Pat Quinn’s administration to enroll elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) has run into opposition from advocates for the disabled and is moving ahead more slowly than expected. As previously discussed in this blog, Governor Quinn hopes to enroll roughly 40,000 elderly and disabled beneficiaries in Northeastern Illinois—excluding Chicago—in HMOs beginning in July of 2010. The pilot plan would be the first time that Illinois’…
Since its beginnings in July with the overhaul of the Civic Federation’s website, the IIFS blog has focused mostly on issues related to the Illinois budget, including Medicaid, debt, and the State pension system. These posts expand upon topics discussed in IIFS research publications and events in the news. Discussion about Illinois’ FY2010 budget and how the State was planning to bridge a two-year, $11.6 billion budget gap was the focal point for a number of blog posts. “New Borrowing Worsens…
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2010 include public pension reform, requiring state government to develop and implement performance measurement and a capital improvement plan, the dissolving of the Illinois International Port District, creating a new governing board for the Cook County Forest Preserve District, reinstating means-tested transit discounts for seniors, requiring large counties to produce timely annual audits, enacting tax increment financing reporting reform,…
Governor Pat Quinn’s administration plans to begin enrolling elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients in Northeastern Illinois—excluding the City of Chicago—in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in July of 2010. The pilot program, which is expected to cover about 40,000 people, represents the first time that Illinois’ Medicaid program has made enrollment in HMOs mandatory. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), the agency that administers the State’s Medicaid…
