It was expected to be a quiet session, but the Illinois General Assembly took several notable actions before it adjourned on May 23.
One of the most positive was that it heard and responded to the plea of our state’s hospital community for much-needed Medicaid outpatient payment relief. The fiscal year 1999 budget passed by the legislature earmarks some $65 million to begin a restructuring of outpatient payments so that hospitals can give more care in the cost-effective outpatient setting.
The budget increase addresses a very real problem. Medicaid currently pays hospitals only about 40 percent of what it costs them to provide outpatient care. It is simply not possible to provide the best, most efficient care at those rates.
Restructuring outpatient rates sends hospitals the right message: Illinois wants its Medicaid patients to be treated in the most cost-effective setting, just as commercially insured patients are.
The hospitals of Illinois congratulate Gov. Jim Edgar and the General Assembly for recognizing and responding to their concerns. Patients, communities and taxpayers will be the winners. The Tribune’s timely editorial support (“Medicaid’s penny-wise clinic policy,” May 4) was a significant contribution to this victory.
