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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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A bill supported by state Rep. Diane Pappas, D-Itasca, would improve Illinois’ mental health care systems and modernize Medicaid payment plans.

“People fighting mental health problems deserve straightforward, modern health care,” Pappas said. “By making the process more efficient, we can increase access to mental health care and get people the help that they need.”

Pappas is co-sponsoring the Mental Health Modernization and Access Improvement Act, which would create incentives for Medicaid mental health service providers to reform their payment systems. House Bill 2486 also requires mental health centers to report on specific measures of quality and rewards providers that are performing well.

“The bill is not just about helping mental health patients, but also making sure that service providers, which are small businesses in our communities, are able to provide care,” said Pappas. “The help they deliver is crucial to our communities, and we need to provide them with incentives so they can continue to provide essential care to people suffering from mental health disorders.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, has introduced legislation that will ensure that medically fragile children covered by Medicaid are no longer moved into programs with high denial rates and decreased care.

“Every family, regardless of income, should have access to quality health care,” Crespo said. “It’s become clear that the Managed Care Program is not providing families the benefits it promises, as families in my community believe it puts their children’s health at risk.”

Crespo is the chief sponsor of House Bill 4736, which would protect the care medically fragile children receive through Medicaid by prohibiting the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) to enroll or transition them into the state’s Medicaid Managed Care Program (MCO). Additionally, Crespo’s legislation would allow children with severe medical conditions currently enrolled in the state’s MCO program to unenroll, and receive Medicaid services through the state’s traditional Medicaid program.

There about 1,000 medically fragile children in the state’s Medicaid system. About a year ago, these kids were moved into the Managed Care program. In almost every other state, children who are medically fragile have been excluded from managed care. The few states that have attempted managed care have seen detrimental consequences. For example, in Texas, a child who could not breathe on his own, had his ventilator denied, and Iowa saw several cases of people dying due to homecare being reduced by the MCO.

“It is one thing to put people with conditions like diabetes into managed care. It’s another thing entirely to put children with ventilators and feeding tubes into this program,” Crespo said. “It is my hope that the troubling findings into this program will help my colleagues understand the severity of the situation so that we’re able to work together to ensure children lives are not put at risk.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Fighting against federal and judicial attacks on women’s health proactively, state Rep. John D’Amico, D-Chicago, helped pass legislation that he is sponsoring to ensure a women’s right to choose is protected in Illinois if the Supreme Court reverses nearly 50 years of legal precedent.

“The Trump administration has already made attacking a woman’s right to make their own health care decisions a priority,” D’Amico said. “Trump had indicated that opposing Row v. Wade is a prerequisite for any nominee that he would consider for the Supreme Court. By following through with that promise and nominating the anti-choice justice Neil Gorsuch, the law is in serious danger of being overturned.”

D’Amico is sponsoring and voted to pass House Bill 40, which would repeal Illinois’ “trigger law,” which has been state law since 1975. This out-of-date “trigger law” would automatically make abortion illegal in Illinois should federal courts overturn the constitutionally protected right to choose. D’Amico’s measure would protect Illinois’ women’s access to safe and legal reproductive health care, regardless of what Trump-appointed judges may decide at the federal level.

Recently, Governor Rauner has threatened to veto the legislation, despite indicating previously that he was pro-choice and supportive of proposal similar to House Bill 40.

“A woman’s decisions regarding her health should be made between her and her doctor, and extreme right-wing politicians like Trump should not be allowed to interfere,” D’Amico said. “I encourage the Governor to live up to the promises he made and stand up for women in Illinois by publicly supporting this proposal.”

Rauner’s proposed changes will have dramatic impact on Illinoisans’ access to healthcare

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Legislators are demanding to know whether Gov. Bruce Rauner’s sweeping changes to the Medicaid system will allow recipients to keep their current doctors and hospitals, what access and quality will be lost by the proposed changes and what steps the administration has taken to prevent conflicts of interest during its unilateral push to overhaul the system that currently provides care to millions of Illinois families.

Rauner and his Department of Healthcare and Family Services have pushed to reduce consumer choice and limit options by reducing the number of managed care organizations authorized to provide coverage under the Medicaid system. In a letter to the governor released Monday, state Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, who chairs the House Appropriations-Human Services Committee, is calling on Rauner to address questions about how the proposed changes would affect patient care, how the contracts will be reviewed and awarded, and what steps the administration has taken to ensure employees involved in the selection process do not steer contracts to managed care organizations they previously worked for or may work for in the future.

“As Medicaid’s fate at the federal level is still very much in question, the subject of health care is one of great anxiety for countless Illinois families,” Harris said. “The governor has pursued these changes without the consent of the Legislature, but the members of the Appropriations-Human Services Committee have an obligation to the people of our state to ensure this process is deliberate, thorough, ethical and ultimately in the best interest of Medicaid recipients.”

Harris is asking Rauner to inform committee members what steps have been taken to ensure continuity of care, including whether patients will retain access to primary-care physicians and specialists as the state plans to contract with fewer managed care organizations. Before the administration awards one of the largest contracts in state history, Harris is also requesting the governor outline who within his administration was involved in the RFP process, who will review the proposals, who will be subject to “revolving door” employment prohibitions and whether any employees have recused themselves from the process. A number of Rauner administration officials have previously been employed by managed care organizations.

“President Trump and Republicans in Washington will continue trying to fundamentally alter the health care landscape, and Medicaid in particular,” Harris said. “Their proposals sounded alarm bells for countless families in our state who would be denied care, and I hope sent a message to the governor that decisions regarding people’s health cannot be made in the back room.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Michael J. Madigan has directed state Rep. Greg Harris, chair of the House Appropriations-Human Services Committee, to hold a hearing Thursday to determine how Medicaid cuts being pushed by the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans will affect children, families and other vulnerable residents in Illinois.

“Medicaid is one of the most significant segments of our state budget, and plays a critical role in the health and wellbeing of over 2 million children and families statewide,” Madigan said. “With so much at stake for our state and our families, it’s important for legislators and the governor to understand the real cost of the cuts being proposed by President Trump and congressional Republicans.”

Madigan and Harris have scheduled a hearing of the Appropriations-Human Services Committee on Thursday, March 16 at 8 a.m. in Room 114 of the Capitol. Representatives from the Illinois Hospital Association and Illinois’ safety net hospitals, as well as Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Felicia Norwood will brief members about the proposed changes and their impact.

Changes to federal Medicaid funding could have a dramatic effect on the state budget, and to Illinois families. An estimated 1 in 4 Illinois families would be impacted by the plan backed by Trump and congressional Republicans to alter the Medicaid system by providing states with a set lump sum payment. These proposed changes could cause significant reductions to federal funding, which would force Illinois to cut critical care for struggling families and persons with disabilities, or put taxpayers on the hook for significantly higher payments in order to continue services.

Committee members will consider not only the immediate impact, but how these cuts, coupled with rising health care costs, could force deeper cuts for many years.

“The Trump administration is moving quickly to make sweeping changes that will have a deep effect on our state, our communities and our families for years to come,” Harris said. “These proposals need to be thoroughly evaluated, so lawmakers can understand how they will affect Illinois, and determine the best course of action for Illinois families.”