(Springfield, IL) — States across the nation are ratcheting down Medicaid services and eligibility to hold down costs, but Illinois officials are standing by Medicaid reforms passed in January that Republicans claim just skim the surface.

The $14 billion state-federal program offers health insurance for mostly low-income children, pregnant women, parents with young children, senior citizens and the disabled. Chief among the reforms passed in January were a requirement to move 50 percent of the state’s 2.8 million Medicaid participants to a “medical home” within the next four years through “coordinated” or managed care, and to move residents from nursing homes and other institutional care into community-based settings.

Illinois Senate Republicans believe the state can do better than the $800 million in savings expected from the reforms during the next five years.

“That was a good step one,” said state Sen. Pam Althoff, R- Crystal Lake, who served on the Medicaid reform task force. “But there’s now a step two.”

Julie Hamos, director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, noted the reforms are intended to keep people healthy and thereby hold down costs.

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