Full Text of SJR0046 096th General Assembly
SJ0046 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has | 3 |
| been duly passed by the United States Congress and signed into | 4 |
| law on February 17, 2009 by President Barack Obama; and
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| WHEREAS, Among its many provisions, the Act provides | 6 |
| additional Medicaid assistance to the states through enhanced | 7 |
| federal matching funds for 27 months beginning in April of | 8 |
| 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, It is estimated that Illinois will be eligible to | 10 |
| receive an estimated $3 billion as a result of the enhanced | 11 |
| federal matching funds over the 27-month period; and
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| WHEREAS, Eligibility will be contingent, in part, on | 13 |
| Medicaid providers being paid in a timely fashion; and
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| WHEREAS, Medicaid providers are forced to bear the | 15 |
| financial burden of the State's failure to pay Medicaid bills | 16 |
| on time, which forces providers to absorb the costs of | 17 |
| short-term borrowing to keep their programs afloat; and
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| WHEREAS, Failure to timely pay providers for services | 19 |
| rendered not only places the State's service delivery system at | 20 |
| risk, but threatens the lives, safety, and well-being of |
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| Illinois' poor, many of whom are the very oldest and very | 2 |
| youngest in our State; and
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| WHEREAS, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act not | 4 |
| only provides Illinois with the opportunity to correct this | 5 |
| problem, but indeed requires the State to reduce payment cycles | 6 |
| to 30 days by June 1, 2009 for many Medicaid providers to | 7 |
| qualify for the enhanced federal matching funds; and
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| WHEREAS, This 3-month grace period provides Illinois with a | 9 |
| window of time to address the chronic payment cycle problems | 10 |
| that have plagued the State's Medicaid reimbursement system; | 11 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 13 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 14 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that enhanced federal matching funds must | 15 |
| first be used to pay past-due Medicaid bills to providers whose | 16 |
| payment cycles must be at 30 days prior to June 1, 2009 for the | 17 |
| State to continue to receive the enhanced federal matching | 18 |
| funds; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the State of Illinois direct all other | 20 |
| necessary resources to paying past-due Medicaid bills to | 21 |
| providers whose payment cycles must be at 30 days prior to June | 22 |
| 1, 2009 for the State to continue to receive the enhanced |
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| matching funds to the extent that enhanced federal matching | 2 |
| funds are insufficient to meet the 30-day mandate; and be it | 3 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That the General Assembly, in cooperation with | 5 |
| the Governor, the Attorney General, the Comptroller, and the | 6 |
| Treasurer take all necessary actions to meet this priority; and | 7 |
| be it further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 9 |
| delivered to the Governor, the Attorney General, the | 10 |
| Comptroller, and the Treasurer.
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