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State
Sen. Larry Bomke,
R-Springfield, explained that Baumgarten approached him with the
proposal following an incident in Menard County that resulted in a
huge financial burden for the county.
"A criminal defendant in Menard County injured himself, and as a
result the county initially received a hospital bill that would have
posed a devastating financial loss to the county," said Bomke. "The
proposal that State's Attorney Baumgarten approached me with will
amend current law so that the county would only be responsible for
medical costs up to $500, and the state will take care of the rest."
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 The bill,
Senate Bill 2967, would require Medicaid to cover medical
expenses exceeding $500 for prisoners who are eligible for Medicaid.
Under current law, Medicaid reimbursement is required by the
Department of Health and Family Services when costs exceed $500 for
people who have already been determined eligible at the time of
detainment in a county jail.
The Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved the
legislation, which has been scheduled to be considered by the entire
Senate in the coming weeks.
[News release from
Sen. Larry Bomke] |
