Springfield, IL... Representative David Leitch (R-Peoria) is pleased to see the new Medicaid Reforms recommended by the Medicaid Reform Committee passed by the Illinois House today by a vote of 111-4-2. Leitch sponsored the measure.
Leitch, a member of the Medicaid Reform Committee, said it was, "an honor to serve on this bipartisan committee which brought forward the most significant reforms to Medicaid in Illinois since I became a legislator over two decades ago."
The reform measure, House Bill 5420 (SFA 2) included proposals by both Republican and Democrat members which will save "hundreds of millions of dollars to this fastest growing segment of the state budget. The path we were on was not sustainable and it is crucial that we get control of this system," Leitch stated.
Some of the key components of this important reform measure include:
- Electronic income and residency verification for clients, including data sharing between state agencies.
- Ending the practice of automatic re-enrollment.
- Two-Year Moratorium on Medicaid eligibility and program expansions.
- Capping income eligibility for All Kids at 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
- Moving a large portion of Medicaid into managed/integrated care programs by 2015.
- Extends a civil remedy provision to Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) against those who engage in Medicaid fraud.
- Long overdue modernization of computer technology.
It is estimated Illinois taxpayers could enjoy over $800 million in savings with these critical bipartisan reforms.
"The way this committee conducted itself, in a truly bipartisan way, should serve as an example to how further budgetary reforms could be explored, debated and passed without the name-calling and demagoguery that has, all too often, characterized the proceedings of the General Assembly," Leitch said.
Leitch reports that these important Medicaid reforms will now go to the Governor.