HR0107 LRB095 08288 DRJ 28460 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Medical schedule reports from the Department of
3 Healthcare and Family Services state that as of January 12,
4 2007 nearly $1.2 billion dollars in unpaid Medicaid claims are
5 pending; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Because Illinois is so far behind on paying
7 Medicaid bills, doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, and other
8 medical providers are faced with the decision to limit care
9 provided to Medicaid-covered individuals or find ways to remain
10 economically viable such as securing loans and exhausting lines
11 of credit; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The amount of unpaid Medicaid bills at the end of
13 FY 2007 is expected to continue to grow to a total of at least
14 $1.5 billion; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The payment cycle for Medicaid providers is
16 expected to grow to an average of 68 days by the end of FY 2007,
17 and the cycle for non-expedited providers will be considerably
18 higher considering that some providers are promised payments
19 based on a 30-day payment cycle; and
 
20     WHEREAS, The FY 2006 budget under-funded pensions by $1.2
21 billion compared to the funding schedule established by the

 

 

HR0107 - 2 - LRB095 08288 DRJ 28460 r

1 1995 Pension Funding Law; and
 
2     WHEREAS, The FY 2007 budget under-funds pensions by another
3 $1.1 billion, bringing the two-year pension diversion to a
4 total of $2.3 billion; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Even though $2.3 billion in funding has been
6 diverted from the funding of pensions, the Medicaid payment
7 cycle and bills on hand at the end of the fiscal year continue
8 to endanger the ability of Medicaid providers to continue to
9 provide services to the needy; and
 
10     WHEREAS, At the same time that Medicaid bills go unpaid and
11 pensions go under-funded, recent budgets have contained
12 funding for member initiatives and special add-on projects
13 benefiting only a small portion of the State; therefore, be it
 
14     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16 until sufficient funding is appropriated to bring the Medicaid
17 payments cycle down to an average of 30 days and pensions are
18 funded based on a funding schedule consistent with the
19 guidelines of the original 1995 Pension Funding Law, future
20 budgets should not contain appropriations for member
21 initiatives or special add-on projects benefiting only a small
22 portion of the State; and be it further
 

 

 

HR0107 - 3 - LRB095 08288 DRJ 28460 r

1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to the Governor of the State of Illinois.