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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In an effort to address unsustainable growth in
3the Medicaid program and to improve the care provided to
4Medicaid enrollees, a bipartisan group of legislators worked
5with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to craft
6comprehensive Medicaid reforms in early 2011; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Governor Quinn referred to these reforms as a
8"landmark achievement" when he signed them into law on January
925, 2011 after they had passed the Senate by a vote of 58-0-1
10and the House of Representatives by a vote of 111-4-2; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Included in these landmark reforms were
12provisions to require Medicaid applicants to submit one month
13of income data and proof of Illinois residency when applying
14for Medicaid coverage; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Department of Healthcare and Family Services
16has not implemented these key reforms due to communication from
17the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services indicating that
18the residency and income verification may violate Medicaid
19Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provisions contained in the Patient
20Protection and Affordable Care Act; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The Department of Healthcare and Family Services

 

 

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1has not requested a waiver to formally ask for the
2implementation of these reforms despite requests from members
3of the General Assembly to request such a waiver; and
 
4    WHEREAS, One of the reasons provided by the Department of
5Healthcare and Family Services for not submitting a waiver for
6the income and residency requirements contained in the Medicaid
7reforms is a lack of agency manpower to submit such waivers;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, In an effort to work with the Department of
10Healthcare and Family Services to address staffing issues,
11Senate Bill 1762 was passed in November of 2011 and signed into
12law as Public Act 97-649 to provide flexibility outside of the
13Personnel Code to allow the Department to hire employees with
14experience in administration, information technology, and
15healthcare financing to facilitate implementation of Medicaid
16reforms; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Also included in the landmark Medicaid reforms was
18a provision to place a 2-year moratorium on the expansion of
19Medicaid eligibility, thus enacting a 2-year moratorium
20through January 25, 2013; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Despite this moratorium, the Department of
22Healthcare and Family Services officially submitted a waiver

 

 

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1request to the federal government in January of 2012 to expand
2Medicaid eligibility in Cook County to individuals currently
3not eligible for Medicaid coverage; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The implementation of all of the landmark
5bipartisan Medicaid reforms remains a key to addressing the
6ever expanding backlog of unpaid Medicaid bills, which
7according to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services
8could reach $21 billion by the end of FY 2017; and
 
9    WHEREAS, numerous other reforms also remain to be
10implemented, including coordination of care for high risks moms
11and babies, creation of a Medicaid transparency portal, payment
12recapture audits, use of durable medical cards, civil remedies
13for fraud, copayment requirements for unauthorized use of
14emergency rooms, enhanced third-party liability provisions,
15and the creation of a specialty drug program for high cost
16medications; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
19CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recommend that the Department of
20Healthcare and Family Services formally file a Medicaid waiver
21to implement the income and residency requirements and all
22other provisions of Public Act 96-1501 that may require a
23waiver; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the Department of Healthcare and Family
2Services should timely submit to the Centers for Medicare and
3Medicaid Services any and all State Plan amendments necessary
4to implement all reform provisions included in Public Act
596-1501; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Healthcare and
7Family Services to fully implement all previously enacted
8reforms to address the unsustainable growth in the Medicaid
9program and to improve the quality of care provided to program
10participants; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
12presented to the Governor, the Director of the Department of
13Healthcare and Family Services, and to the members of the
14Illinois Congressional delegation.