February 9, 2012

On the heels of recent criticism from Republican lawmakers, on Feb. 7 Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos sent a letter to the federal government outlining the Department’s intentions to begin implementation of commonsense Medicaid eligibility requirements passed by state lawmakers.

On Feb. 2, HFS and Quinn’s Administration were taken to task by Republican lawmakers for attempts to expedite expansion of the Medicaid program in Cook County, even as the Administration dragged its heels on pursuing execution of the bipartisan Medicaid reforms signed into law in 2011.

Senate Republicans were pleased to see the Administration pursue a more aggressive stance on Medicaid reform. However, the Caucus was particularly interested in DHS findings outlined in Director Hamos’ letter that suggest nearly six percent of the Department’s monthly medical card mailings from November 2011 were returned “undeliverable with out-of-state addresses.” If six percent of Medicaid recipients were deemed ineligible for benefits for failure to meet residency requirements, that would amount to approximately $650 million in savings each year.