All posts tagged Benjamin Yount

Illinois Medicaid Spending to Increase 41% in 5 Years, Civic Federation Report Says

(Springfield, IL) – A new report released Monday from the Civic Federation, a Chicago-based nonpartisan policy group that focuses on state spending, predicts Illinois’ Medicaid costs will skyrocket over the next five years.

Laurence Msall, federation president, said lawmakers and governors have spent Illinois into a deep hole by expanding Medicaid, which provides health-care coverage to low-income families.

“What is most frightening is that even after the income tax, the state was not able to pass a budget to fully fund Medicaid,” Msall said, referring to a 67 percent personal income tax increase and a 48 percent corporate income tax increase in January 2011.

But even with that additional revenue, Illinois lawmakers still had to pay more than $1 billion in 2011 Medicaid bills.

The Civic Federation report paints a grim picture for Medicaid spending:

(more…)

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by Jud DeLoss on January 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Illinois Budget, Illinois Medicaid
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on January 31, 2012

https://ilabh.net/2012/01/31/illinois-medicaid-spending-to-increase-41-in-5-years-civic-federation-report-says/

Governor Pat Quinn Likely to Sign Illinois Budget Thursday

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn may sign the 2012 state budget Thursday, but the spending plan is not a one-and-done deal.

“The budget is an on-going process,” said Quinn. “We have to work on it 365 days of the fiscal year.”

Quinn, who introduced a nearly $36 billion budget, said he is not happy with the $33.4 billion spending plan that Illinois lawmakers sent him, and he wants more spending in education and human services.

But while Quinn can shift around money in the budget, he cannot order more spending, said state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago.

“The governor has some limitations when he is acting on the budget,” said Feigenholtz. ”He cannot add. He can only (order) line-item reductions.”

But Feigenholtz, who helped write the human services portion of the state budget, said Quinn “should come back to the Legislature to ask us for more” money this fall. And Quinn agreed.

(more…)

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by Jud DeLoss on June 28, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Illinois Budget
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on June 28, 2011

https://ilabh.net/2011/06/28/governor-pat-quinn-likely-to-sign-illinois-budget-thursday/

Topinka Says State to Reap Nearly $100 Million from U.S. Government for Illinois Medicaid Bills

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday approved a plan to delay a $365 million payment into Illinois’ rainy day fund, and instead use that money to pay some of the billions of dollars Illinois owes to Medicaid providers.

Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said the state is racing to maximize a federal Medicaid match that expires at the end of the month. Illinois is getting 57 cents on the dollar for qualifying Medicaid bills that it pays this month. Starting in July, that rate falls back to the normal 50 cents on the dollar.

Maximizing the $365 million, Topinka said, should allow her to pay $1.85 billion in Medicaid bills by June 30. She estimates Illinois could receive an extra $90 million to $100 million from the federal government.

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by Jud DeLoss on June 23, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Illinois Budget, Illinois Medicaid
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on June 23, 2011

https://ilabh.net/2011/06/23/topinka-says-state-to-reap-nearly-100-million-from-u-s-government-for-illinois-medicaid-bills/

Governor Pat Quinn Wants Illinois Budget to “Protect Core Priorities”

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois’ new budget may spend less than Gov. Pat Quinn’s original proposal, but it is higher than this past year’s budget and was balanced by delaying the payment of billions of dollars in unpaid bills until this current fiscal year.

“The governor has been clear … that while we put our fiscal house in order, we must continue to protect core priorities,” said Kelly Kraft, Quinn’s budget spokeswoman.

Quinn is “reviewing” the budget’s impact on human services and schools statewide, Kraft said, which were among those items lawmakers trimmed to reduce spending from Quinn’s $36 billion to $33.2 billion.

House Democratic budget architect Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said the new spending priorities include Illinois’ $4 billion pension payment.

The budget “for the first time doesn’t hide the true costs of state government by taking the pensions off budget,” said Mautino. “We’re making all of our pension payments, which for the past three years we’ve had to borrow” to fund.

But pension payments are one piece of Illinois’ astronomical debt. In the proposed budget, lawmakers did not reduce the $4 billion in old bills on the desk of Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka. Instead, the state will take longer to pay these bills, including Medicaid payments

State Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, said lawmakers are spending as much as Illinois is expected to take in from taxpayers.

“This is a revenue-driven budget … versus a program-driven budget, which we’ve had in the past where we created programs and then tried to find money,” Trotter said.

State Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, said that if Illinois brings in more than $33.2 billion in tax revenue, that extra money will pay for past-due bills.

Benjamin Yount, Illinois Statehouse News

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by Jud DeLoss on June 1, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois Budget
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on June 1, 2011

https://ilabh.net/2011/06/01/governor-pat-quinn-wants-illinois-budget-to-protect-core-priorities/

As Illinois Deadbeat Status Persists, Topinka Says “No” to Senator Sullivan Plan to Pay State Bills

(Springfield, IL) — For the upcoming year, Illinois lawmakers are weighing whether to pay bills with borrowed money or not pay businesses and local government money the state owes them.

Democrats are pushing the plan to borrow $6.2 billion in order to pay some of Illinois’ $8.2 billion in past-due bills.

Republicans say lawmakers have to stop borrowing and start cutting spending if Illinois is ever going to pay its bills and live within its means.

Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, who actually writes the checks for the state’s bills, said spending money now is not the solution.

“The basic restructuring has not been done; the cuts have not been made. The budget has not been brought back in line, which has to be basically flat,” said Topinka.

Topinka said Illinois is still spending more than it is taking in. She did not offer an amount to be cut from the budget, but she did say the $7 billion in revenue from the largest income tax increase in the state’s history, has been committed.

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by Jud DeLoss on May 27, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Illinois Budget
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on May 27, 2011

https://ilabh.net/2011/05/27/as-illinois-deadbeat-status-persists-topinka-says-no-to-senator-sullivan-plan-to-pay-state-bills/

Rutherford Says “No” to Paying Delinquent Illinois Bills with New Bond Borrowing

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford on Monday said he cannot support adding to Illinois burgeoning debt.

The first-term Republican treasurer released his own report that states Illinois total debt would cost every household in the state $42,000. Rutherford arrived at the number by adding Illinois’ $140 billion in unfunded pension and health-care liabilities, the state’s $45 billion bond debt, and the nearly $8 billion in unpaid bills.

Rutherford said lawmakers must cut spending and live within their means in order for Illinois to pay off the debt.

“You can’t borrow anymore money,” said Rutherford. “And if I need to send letters to the rating companies to tell them the treasurer of Illinois is opposed to any more borrowing, I’ll go ahead and do that.”

Rutherford said alerting national rating agencies and bond houses could make it more expensive for Illinois to borrow. He said hopes that step would give lawmakers pause before asking for a billion dollars.

And while the state’s treasurer can only stop short-term borrowing, lawmakers are maneuvering to pass a measure through the General Assembly that would bypass any authority Rutherford has.

(more…)

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by Jud DeLoss on May 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Illinois Budget
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on May 24, 2011

https://ilabh.net/2011/05/24/rutherford-says-no-to-paying-delinquent-illinois-bills-with-new-bond-borrowing/

Final Illinois Budget Likely to Be Lower than Gov. Pat Quinn’s Request, Says GOP Senator Matt Murphy

(Springfield, IL) — The differences between Illinois’ 2011 budget and the still-to-be crafted 2012 budget are becoming more apparent each day.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate are working on their own versions of a spending plan, complete with revenue projections and line-by-line appropriations. It’s not clear which chamber will set the final total for a state budget, and that may not become clear for a while.

This week, Senate Republicans said they are hoping to work with the Democrats who control the upper chamber in Springfield to figure out how to spend a little more than $34 billion. The House budget figure is just above $33 billion. Gov. Pat Quinn wants to spend $35 billion next year.

Senate GOP budget point man State Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, said just having a conversation about spending and different numbers is a break from the past.

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by Jud DeLoss on April 11, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Illinois Budget
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Posted by Jud DeLoss on April 11, 2011

https://ilabh.net/2011/04/11/final-illinois-budget-likely-to-be-lower-than-gov-pat-quinns-request-says-gop-senator-matt-murphy/