Members of the Oversight Board on Tuesday expressed concern that Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration has not sought sufficient public input on its plans to limit access to medical programs like Medicaid for non-citizens.
The controversy stems from the “Medical Benefits for Immigrant Adults” and “Medical Benefits for Immigrant Seniors” programs that provide medical benefits to low-income noncitizens who are eligible for Medicaid benefits if they do not have citizenship. is focused on.
During budget negotiations in May, lawmakers gave the Pritzker administration the power to limit program spending through emergency rulemaking, which it exercised in late June.
These emergency rules frozen enrollment in immigrant adult health care benefit programs for noncitizens ages 42 to 64 and capped enrollment in senior citizen programs. The change also lowered reimbursement rates for two large public hospitals, introduced copays and co-insurance for some services, and moved some subscribers into the state’s Medicaid-managed care program to cut costs. will be transferred.
Officials at the Department of Health and Family Services said the rule was designed to limit the cost of the program and without change it would be hundreds of millions of dollars underfunded.
“We estimate that, without changes, the debt on the program will be about $1.2 billion,” Ben Winnick, the agency’s chief of staff, said at a meeting of the rules committee in Chicago.
He noted that while the General Assembly allocated $550 million, it gave the administration powers to limit costs.
The Pritzker administration proposed both “emergency” and “permanent” administrative rule changes. Emergency rules are usually valid for 150 days, but laws that give governments the power to limit program enrollment also allow you to reapply for an emergency rule after it has expired. That means the suspension will continue for at least the next two years for as long as the agency wishes, unless the rules committee votes to suspend it by a three-fifths majority.
The Regulations Commission — made up of six Democrats and six Republicans and charged with overseeing policy-making within the state executive branch — took no action Tuesday on either emergency or permanent rules. The commission may take action in the future. meeting.
Democrats and Republicans shared concerns that focused primarily on how the rules were formulated.
Senator Christina Castro, an Elgin Democrat and member of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, said the agency failed to consult with stakeholders in the immigration advocacy community when developing its rules.
“You submitted both emergency and permanent rules immediately, and apparently there was no consultation with supporters on either,” Castro told government officials.
On the Republican side, Rep. Steven Reich of Woodstock said the rule represented a “waiver” of the General Assembly’s responsibilities and should have been considered in law rather than administrative policy.
“This is another example of a governor thinking he can legislate on his own,” Reich said. “First we did it with 47 disaster declarations and now we do it with emergency declarations.”
