HR0107 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0107 LRB095 08288 DRJ 28460 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Medical schedule reports from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services state that as of January 12, 2007 nearly $1.2 billion dollars in unpaid Medicaid claims are pending; and

WHEREAS, Because Illinois is so far behind on paying Medicaid bills, doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, and other medical providers are faced with the decision to limit care provided to Medicaid-covered individuals or find ways to remain economically viable such as securing loans and exhausting lines of credit; and

WHEREAS, The amount of unpaid Medicaid bills at the end of FY 2007 is expected to continue to grow to a total of at least $1.5 billion; and

WHEREAS, The payment cycle for Medicaid providers is expected to grow to an average of 68 days by the end of FY 2007, and the cycle for non-expedited providers will be considerably higher considering that some providers are promised payments based on a 30-day payment cycle; and

WHEREAS, The FY 2006 budget under-funded pensions by $1.2 billion compared to the funding schedule established by the 1995 Pension Funding Law; and

WHEREAS, The FY 2007 budget under-funds pensions by another $1.1 billion, bringing the two-year pension diversion to a total of $2.3 billion; and

WHEREAS, Even though $2.3 billion in funding has been diverted from the funding of pensions, the Medicaid payment cycle and bills on hand at the end of the fiscal year continue to endanger the ability of Medicaid providers to continue to provide services to the needy; and

WHEREAS, At the same time that Medicaid bills go unpaid and pensions go under-funded, recent budgets have contained funding for member initiatives and special add-on projects benefiting only a small portion of the State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that until sufficient funding is appropriated to bring the Medicaid payments cycle down to an average of 30 days and pensions are funded based on a funding schedule consistent with the guidelines of the original 1995 Pension Funding Law, future budgets should not contain appropriations for member initiatives or special add-on projects benefiting only a small portion of the State; and be it further

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