Crespo Honored as Legislator of the Year for Work on Reforming Managed Medicaid

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – State Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, was honored with the 2019 Legislator of the Year Award at Leyden Family Service’s 17th Annual Fundraising Gala for his enduring work to improve the State’s managed Medicaid system.

“I’m humbled to receive this award from an organization that is so committed to serving our community,” Crespo said. “The incompetence and negligence of the Rauner administration seriously impacted organizations like Leyden. While we’ve made some progress, much work remains to be done to ensure they can continue serving local residents.”

Crespo was honored with the Legislator of the Year Award by Hoffman Estates’ Leyden Family Service for his continuous work to improve Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). Leyden is a local social service organization that provides mental health and substance abuse services to suburban residents. According to their CEO, Bruce Sewick, 63% of the clients they serve are recipients of managed Medicaid, which recently came under serious scrutiny as a result of an audit that Crespo demanded.

In 2018, the audit revealed that Bruce Rauner’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) failed to properly monitor $7.11 billion in payments made to and by MCOs. Among other things, the report found that the DHFS was unable to provide complete data on what percentage of each MCO’s premium income went to health care and quality improvement. Organizations like Leyden have struggled to receive payment for the services they provide to a majority of their clients and Crespo has been at the forefront of much-needed reform and transparency.

“We’re honored to award Leader Fred Crespo with such distinction as he’s been a champion for social service organizations like ours, particularly during the Rauner administration when our ability to provide potentially lifesaving services to our community’s most vulnerable residents was severely hindered,” said Bruce Sewick, CEO of Leyden Family Service.

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