House overrides veto on Hammond bill to address Medicaid application backlog

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Rep. Norine Hammond

The Illinois House unanimously overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto on a bill Rep. Norine Hammond introduced, that’s aimed at addressing the state’s backlog of applicants for long-term care through Medicaid.The Macomb Republican says that for three years since she’s worked with constituents and healthcare providers that are struggling to get through Medicaid long-term care application process.

This bill would give applicants waiting on final approval to be given provisional Medicaid eligibility after 45 days.

She says that many skilled care facilities, like the Knox County Nursing Home, before could care for residents a year or more without any reimbursement.

Hammond also tells WGIL that about 3/4 of the constituent issues her assistant fields are related to the Medicaid application process.

Gov. Rauner had several issues with the legislation.

Ordinarily, the state pays half of Medicaid expenses and are reimbursed by the federal government for the other half, but Rauner says Illinois would be on the hook for 100 percent of costs under this provisionary eligibility period.

Hammond tells WGIL that’s just not true.

“As a matter of fact the federal court ruled, I want to say about six months ago, on this very issue and stated very specifically if we did not have the applications approved by the 46th then the provisional eligibility would apply,” Hammond says.

Rauner’s veto of HB4771 was probably dead on arrival since every member of the General Assembly’s two chambers voted in favor of the bill when it first came up in the late spring.

 

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