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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Medicaid is an entitlement program that provides
3healthcare coverage for low income children, adults, adults
4with disabilities, and seniors; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Medicaid is jointly funded between the states and
6the federal government; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The federal participation to state Medicaid
8programs is based upon 2 factors - the amount the state spends
9on Medicaid matchable services and the state's individual
10Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP); and
 
11    WHEREAS, The FMAP is calculated by the federal government
12each year through administrative rule, via a formula that
13considers the average per capita income for that state relative
14to the national average; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The FMAP cannot be less than 50% or more than 83%
16for federal Medicaid reimbursements to states; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Illinois has historically been among the lowest
18reimbursed FMAP states at the 50% rate; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Only in 2014 will Illinois receive a slight

 

 

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1adjustment to the FMAP rate with an effective reimbursement
2rate of 50.76%; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Illinois is one of only 22 states with an FMAP
4less than 54% and only one of 13 states with an FMAP of less
5than 51%; 7 states have an FMAP rate of 70% or more; and
 
6    WHEREAS, All of the contiguous states surrounding Illinois
7have a higher FMAP reimbursement rate for Medicaid - between 5%
8and 19% higher; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Other states with low relative FMAP
10reimbursements include New York, New Jersey, California,
11Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia; these states are similar
12to Illinois with proximity to a large metropolitan area; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Concerns have been raised that the FMAP formula
14fails to take into account the total number of Medicaid
15eligible residents which may live in an area with a large
16metropolitan area and is slow to reflect current economic
17conditions present in a state; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
20we urge the federal government to revisit the formula used to
21calculate the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage with

 

 

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1variables which take into account the total number of low
2income residents in a state and variables which represent a
3timely reflection of economic conditions in a state; and be it
4further
 
5    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
6delivered to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.