The Illinois Auditor General has issued a highly critical report on the state’s Medicaid system. The audit was released Tuesday. One of its main findings is that the state has had a running Medicaid debt of $1.5 billion for the last three years.
Dr. James Milam with the Illinois State Medical Society says he isn’t surprised by the report. To him, it just supports what he’s heard from doctors around the state who haven’t been getting paid swiftly. State comptroller Dan Hynes says some of the blame should go to Governor Rod Blagojevich. Hynes questions whether the governor’s expansion of state health care coverage has been wise.
HYNES: We have to ask ourselves whether we’re really helping people if we’re expanding a system that’s broken, that’s underfunded, and where doctors don’t want to participate.
Meantime, a spokesperson from the Illinois agency that handles Medicaid payments says the report shows the need to better fund state health care.