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May 18, 2012
With less than two weeks left before the scheduled 2012 spring session, lawmakers have been busy approving legislation to be sent to Gov. Pat Quinn for consideration, while behind the scenes negotiations continue on the state’s most pressing issues: the budget, Medicaid and state pension reform.
On the critical issue of Medicaid reform, at week's end it appeared significant progress was being made toward closing a $2.7 billion gap in the program. Senator Dillard joined Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno in advocating for a key objective of Senate Republicans to enact reforms that will force the state to "cut up its Medicaid credit card" by reforming the controversial "Section 25" provisions in state law. Reforming this provision is critical to assuring that savings approved by the legislature actually materialize, by limiting the administration's ability to push off costs.
Under "Section 25" the state digs itself into a deep budget hole each year by buying more Medicaid services than it can pay for and then pushing the bills off into the next year. The Civic Federation earlier this year estimated that Illinois' Medicaid debt would consume most of its budget within five years if the state does not get Medicaid spending under control and end the practice of buying services in one year and then charging the costs off onto future years. Massive deficits like those projected by the Civic Federation, and even the Governor's own social service agency, could jeopardize the healthcare safety net for those who truly need it.
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May 17, 2012
Seeking to increase clarity and public access with regard to notices and agendas required under the Open Meetings Act, State Sen. Kirk Dillard sponsored House Bill 4687, which was advanced by the Illinois Senate on May 16.
House Bill 4687, introduced by Rep. Sandra Pihos (R-Glen Ellyn), requires every agenda posted prior to a public meeting to include the general subject matter of the resolution or ordinance that will be voted at the meeting.
“We find that sometimes the agendas for these meetings can be vague, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the public to understand the purpose of the meeting,” Dillard explained. “Obviously, the intent of requiring meeting notices and agendas to be made public is to increase the transparency and public involvement in these meetings.
“House Bill 4687 underscores that there is an expectation that all notices required under the Open Meetings Act are sufficiently descriptive, to the extent you could reasonable expect that a layperson would understand what is going to happen at the meeting.”
The legislation also requires that the public body take reasonable steps to ensure that a copy of the notice and agenda are continuously made available for public review for the entire 48-hour period prior to the meeting. Dillard said that posting the notice and agenda on the entity’s Web site would fulfill that requirement.
Having been approved by the Senate, House Bill 4687 now returns to the Illinois House for concurrence; if approved, the bill will proceed to the Governor for consideration. |
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A Letter to the Editor from Sen. Kirk Dillard:
A story from The Associated Press, “Questions about Illinois Medicaid cuts, pension reforms,” stated there is little evidence to support the claim that nearly 10 percent of Medicaid in Illinois and nationwide could be fraudulent. There is plenty of evidence to support my contention that nearly 10 percent of Medicaid payments may be inappropriate, at least that’s what a 2010 federal agency report says about Medicaid nationwide.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the federal Department of Health and Human Services calculated in its 2010 agency financial report that on the basis of individual state error rates from a sample of 17 states reviewed on a rotating basis each year, they estimate a national improper payment rate for Medicaid of 9.4 percent for fiscal year 2010.
The GAO report states improper payments to providers that submit inappropriate claims can result in substantial financial losses to states. The GAO says Medicaid payments can be improper for various reasons, such as if payments are made for people not eligible for Medicaid or made for services not provided.
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