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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has
3 been duly passed by the United States Congress and signed into
4 law on February 17, 2009 by President Barack Obama; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Among its many provisions, the Act provides
6 additional Medicaid assistance to the states through enhanced
7 federal matching funds for 27 months beginning in April of
8 2009; and
 
9     WHEREAS, It is estimated that Illinois will be eligible to
10 receive an estimated $3 billion as a result of the enhanced
11 federal matching funds over the 27-month period; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Eligibility will be contingent, in part, on
13 Medicaid providers being paid in a timely fashion; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Medicaid providers are forced to bear the
15 financial burden of the State's failure to pay Medicaid bills
16 on time, which forces providers to absorb the costs of
17 short-term borrowing to keep their programs afloat; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Failure to timely pay providers for services
19 rendered not only places the State's service delivery system at
20 risk, but threatens the lives, safety, and well-being of

 

 

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1 Illinois' poor, many of whom are the very oldest and very
2 youngest in our State; and
 
3     WHEREAS, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act not
4 only provides Illinois with the opportunity to correct this
5 problem, but indeed requires the State to reduce payment cycles
6 to 30 days by June 1, 2009 for many Medicaid providers to
7 qualify for the enhanced federal matching funds; and
 
8     WHEREAS, This 3-month grace period provides Illinois with a
9 window of time to address the chronic payment cycle problems
10 that have plagued the State's Medicaid reimbursement system;
11 therefore, be it
 
12     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
13 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
14 CONCURRING HEREIN, that enhanced federal matching funds must
15 first be used to pay past-due Medicaid bills to providers whose
16 payment cycles must be at 30 days prior to June 1, 2009 for the
17 State to continue to receive the enhanced federal matching
18 funds; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That the State of Illinois direct all other
20 necessary resources to paying past-due Medicaid bills to
21 providers whose payment cycles must be at 30 days prior to June
22 1, 2009 for the State to continue to receive the enhanced

 

 

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1 matching funds to the extent that enhanced federal matching
2 funds are insufficient to meet the 30-day mandate; and be it
3 further
 
4     RESOLVED, That the General Assembly, in cooperation with
5 the Governor, the Attorney General, the Comptroller, and the
6 Treasurer take all necessary actions to meet this priority; and
7 be it further
 
8     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
9 delivered to the Governor, the Attorney General, the
10 Comptroller, and the Treasurer.