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"The proposed cuts by the Bush Administration would represent a
serious financial blow to hospitals and nursing homes providing
health care to those who need it most," said Gov. Blagojevich.
"Without the current funding arrangements, hospitals and other
public healthcare providers would be forced to dramatically cut back
services or close their doors. It is time for the federal government
to recognize the commitment by states around the country to expand
healthcare to those who need it, and increase --not cut -- federal
support of those efforts."
Current Medicaid rules allow state and local governments that own
or run hospitals to receive more money for Medicaid services, beyond
what the standard Medicaid rates pay, and draw a federal match on
those additional dollars. The rule proposed by the Bush
administration would end that arrangement, and would dramatically
limit the services that public hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics
could provide. In Illinois, the cuts would mean a loss of $623
million to Illinois' public hospitals and other Medicaid providers,
including up to $235 million to the Cook County Hospital System,
which is already facing a serious budget shortfall that is
threatening the delivery of services to Chicago's most underserved
communities.
The Governor also
called on President Bush to increase financial support for states
that are working to expand access to healthcare. Over the last year,
Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have followed Illinois' lead to
expand healthcare to more uninsured children, and earlier this
month, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his
proposal to do the same.
Shortly after taking office in 2003, the Governor increased the
income threshold for children in KidCare from 185 percent of the
Federal Poverty Level to 200 percent, and in November 2005, the
Governor signed All Kids into law, making healthcare affordable for
the families of every uninsured child in the state. All Kids made
Illinois the first state in the nation to offer affordable,
comprehensive health coverage to every uninsured child.
Under Governor
Blagojevich, the state has provided health coverage to more than
313,000 children who didn't have it before.
Gov. Blagojevich also worked to further expand FamilyCare by
increasing the eligibility level for benefits on three occasions,
from 133 percent of the federal poverty level (annual household
income of $25,740 for a family of four) to 185 percent of the
federal poverty level (an annual household income of $35,796 for a
family of four). Under Governor Blagojevich, more than 500,000
Illinoisans now have healthcare who did not before.
Earlier this month, The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the
Uninsured, one of the nation's most respected independent health
policy research organizations, released a report crediting Governor
Blagojevich's administration for sparking a national movement to
provide healthcare to all children. The Kaiser Commission also found
that Illinois, for the third year in a row, ranks first in the
nation for providing healthcare to working parents who need it.
[to top of second column]
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 Text of letter:
Office of the Governor
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Rod R. Blagojevich
Governor
January 31, 2007
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
On behalf of the citizens of Illinois and the 2.2 million
Illinoisans who benefit from State healthcare, I am writing to urge
you not to cut back federal funding for public hospitals, local
health departments, local mental health boards, county nursing homes
and other publicly run local health services around our state.
Any changes that your
Administration wants to make to the federal healthcare funding
structure should undergo review and approval by our elected members
of Congress. Unfortunately, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services has recently proposed new rules regarding governmental
entities that would seriously undermine their ability to provide
healthcare to Illinoisans all across the state – and they would do
it without approval from Congress.
The impacted entities in Illinois provide vital healthcare
services to high Medicaid and uninsured populations, allowing them
to continue providing critical services to the community at large.
Without the current funding arrangements, these hospitals and other
public healthcare providers would be forced to dramatically cut back
services or close their doors. It is time for the federal government
to recognize the commitment by states around the country to expand
healthcare to those who need it, and increase – not cut – federal
support of those efforts.
For the past four years, Illinois has led the nation in expanding
access to healthcare to working families in Illinois. Over 500,000
more people in Illinois now have health coverage and can afford to
go to the doctor, and under All Kids, every child can now get the
healthcare they need. And now, we are working toward expanding
healthcare to even more Illinoisans.
But we don't just look out for working families in Illinois. We
look out for the doctors, the hospitals, and the nursing homes that
take care of our patients. And the proposed cuts by your
Administration would represent a serious financial blow of $623
million to hospitals, nursing homes, and other Medicaid providers
that serve those who need it most – including a loss of up to $235
million to the Cook County Hospital System,
which is already facing a serious budget shortfall that will
threaten the delivery of services to Chicago's most underserved
communities.
It is time for the federal government to reverse course – and
start supporting those states that are making healthcare a reality
for the uninsured. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time,
and I look forward to working with you to help more families access
the healthcare they need.
Sincerely,
Rod R. Blagojevich
Governor
cc:
Leslie V. Norwalk, Acting Head, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
Illinois Congressional Delegation
(Text
copied from file received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information) |
