HR0830 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0830 LRB101 20971 MST 71326 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Throughout the State of Illinois, there are thousands of foster parents who have taken on the solemn responsibility of caring for the thousands of youth in care who are in the charge of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS); and

WHEREAS, As part of the DCFS mandate to administer care for our youth in care, access to quality medical care to ensure the health and well-being of these youth in care must be our top priority; and

WHEREAS, To meet this obligation, DCFS intends to transition youth in care from traditional Medicaid to a Medicaid managed care program administered by YouthCare; and

WHEREAS, While the transition to managed care is intended to improve the healthcare available to these vulnerable children, it is clear that YouthCare is not yet ready for this responsibility; serious concerns exist about the provider network needed to meet the specialized care needs of these children; and

WHEREAS, The concerns with YouthCare have already caused the managed care transition to be delayed on two occasions, but it is clear that the multitude of concerns have not been addressed; and

WHEREAS, As the State has begun processing the transition of now adopted youth in care and young adults under age 26 who have aged out of the foster care system onto Medicaid managed care on February 1, 2020, this represents an opportunity for evaluation before transitioning the more than 17,000 youth in care in the foster care system; and

WHEREAS, Not only will the evaluation of this transition help sort out potential issues and give more time for YouthCare to improve its provider network, but it will also allow time to determine the success of the other five managed care providers that are available to adoptees and aged out youth in care; and

WHEREAS, If this transition and access to additional providers proves successful, delaying the youth in care transition will allow the legislature the opportunity to update the law and ensure better healthcare access for all our youth in care; and

WHEREAS, It is therefore necessary to delay the transition of youth in care in the charge of DCFS to Medicaid managed care for a period of one year beyond the currently scheduled transition date of April 1, 2020; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the administration of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to delay the transition of the State's youth in care to Medicaid managed care for a period of one year; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we stand ready to work with the administration and, if necessary, enact legislation to ensure the health and well-being of our youth in care is protected; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Governor JB Pritzker, Department of Children and Family Services Acting Director Marc D. Smith, and Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Theresa Eagleson.