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The state's "financial disarray has caused medical professionals to leave the program and has resulted in access problems for the very patients the program is designed to help," explained Brady's spokeswoman Patty Schuh on Thursday.
Brady: In fact, (Quinn) doesn't even have a reaffirmation program after one year.



Brady: (Quinn) has failed to deal with it.
Since most of us aren't on Medicaid and may not follow the issue as closely as we should,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], here's an annotated version of GOP candidate Bill Brady's response when he was asked during Sunday's gubernatorial debate to name "one specific program" he'd cut from the state budget if elected.






Brady: Gov. Quinn's program has failed to give access to the Medicaid recipients that actually deserve it. So this program needs to be reformed.
This is false. Applicants for Medicaid, the combined federal/state program that provides health care to low-income and disabled people, are screened to see if their income is low enough for them to qualify. They must present a recent pay stub or other evidence to establish eligibility. And the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services "checks federal data for income sources, such as Social Security and unemployment compensation,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," according to the agency.
There's been a lot of talk in the race for governor about the staggering costs of Medicaid and what needs to be done to get those costs under control.


"Eligibility must be reviewed at least annually" except when it comes to children, said a Healthcare and Family Services spokesman. "For most covered persons, this requires that income be documented again." (for more on the eligibility & renewal issues, click here)
Bellock credits former state Rep. Julie Hamos (right), whom Quinn appointed in April to head Healthcare and Family Services, with working quickly to expand the  managed care program under Medicaid that is now voluntary and has an enrollment of about 190,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],000.
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That projection isn't guaranteed. A 2009 insurance industry analysis  of 24 economic studies of Medicaid managed care programs nationwide (download the report  .pdf) found that "savings varied widely ― from half of 1 percent to 20 percent."

There is, however, legitimate concern that screening is not thorough enough. Democrats have resisted Republican efforts to ask for two pay stubs.



Is there fraud in the Medicaid program? No one denies it. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has estimated that 10.5 percent of Medicaid payments are improper. Three new state laws ― introduced by Republican legislators and signed June 25, 2010, by Quinn ― attacked that problem in part by increasing transparency in payments and authorizing outside audits.
A Healthcare and Family Services spokesman responded that low reimbursement rates are driving health care providers from the system, and that problem will only get worse if funding is slashed for Medicaid.
Brady: Well, the Medicaid program under Gov. (Pat) Quinn allows people like Gov. Quinn to walk in and receive an eligibility card. We don't verify eligibility in the Medicaid program.



Illinois is behind most other states in moving Medicaid patients into HMO-style care plans. Resistance to the idea has been bipartisan and dates back more than 10 years, according to Republican state Rep. Patricia Bellock, who chairs the House committee on Medicaid and was on the 2009 joint legislative committee on Medicaid reform.
Brady: The lack of competence in this administration is squandering tax dollars that shouldn't be squandered.
Brady: In addition to that, the Medicaid program could be further enhanced by providing managed care. We could save over $2 (billion) to $3 billion by providing access to quality care at an earlier stage.

No. This answer suggests Brady has failed to understand it.
Last month, Hamos announced an expansion of managed care to nearly 40,000 seniors and adults with disabilities ― among the most expensive patients in the Medicaid system ― that she estimates will save $200 million over five years.

About one in five Illinois residents ― an estimated 2.6 million people ― are enrolled in Medicaid. That's about double what it was 10 years ago. But the increase ― fueled by expansion of eligibility, the rising cost of health care and private insurance and two recessions ― is similar to increases in other states (slightly smaller last year, actually) and in line with national trends.
Illinois has budgeted $15.2 billion this fiscal year for Medicaid ― $8.4 billion of which will come from the federal government. A huge expense, yes, but according to the most recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, our cost is only 4 percent higher per enrollee than the national average.
More -- here is the Brady campaign's full response to my queries Thurdsay: