Federal healthcare reform could increase the State of Illinois’ Medicaid enrollment by 400,000 to 600,000 recipients beginning in 2014, but the federal government is expected to pay nearly all the additional cost for newly eligible recipients. The new law would extend Medicaid coverage to all nonelderly individuals with incomes below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in 2014. The FPL is now $10,830 for a family of one and $22,050 for a family of four. Under the new law, the…
Tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients and doctors were involved in potentially fraudulent or abusive purchases of prescription drugs in 2006 and 2007 in five states, including Illinois, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO examined cases of potential “doctor shopping,” in which a patient used at least six different doctors. Visits to numerous prescribers can be a way to disguise an addiction or obtain drugs to fraudulently sell, the report said.…
The Civic Federation's Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability wrote this issue brief about the Illinois Medicaid Program. The report provides an overview of Medicaid in Illinois and highlights areas where the program's cost efficiency might be improved. The report recommends that the General Assembly form a joint legislative and gubernatorial commission to launch a review of the future financing of the Illinois Medicaid program, especially with regard to the expiration of federal…
