Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) delivers remarks on Medicaid.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 the people of the state of the
00:05 you for this terrific center and it's a great day this really is it's a great day because
00:13 what we're really announcing when we get all through it I'm going to talk a little bit
00:17 about it but is hundreds of thousands of people are going to be covered continue to be covered
00:23 by Medicaid as a result of doing a careful job about redeterminations that's a big deal
00:31 lots of states didn't do that and we're one of the best in the country so let me get at
00:35 it I want to recognize and thank the Lawndale Christian Health Center for its kindness and
00:43 hosting us this morning its partnership and serving the health care needs of people who
00:50 sometimes desperately need it and this is the only place that's available to them and
00:54 this place is open to them all the time and and I'm just very pleased for the state to
01:00 be partnered with you in this endeavor as all of you know Medicaid renewals annually
01:06 are reviewed to determine each person's continued eligibility for the program but during the
01:13 COVID-19 pandemic the federal government wanted to be sure that no one would go without health
01:18 care so they lowered the bureaucratic barriers which allowed expanded coverage and they paused
01:25 Medicaid redeterminations for millions of people in Illinois and tens of millions across
01:32 the entire country last year at the end of the pandemic every state was required to start
01:38 the redetermination process and with so many newly covered clients many states struggled
01:45 in that endeavor still other states used the starting of redeterminations as an opportunity
01:51 to push vulnerable residents off of their Medicaid rolls they didn't want to have to
01:56 pay for them here in Illinois we took a very different approach we examined every covered
02:03 person followed all the rules and worked assiduously to maintain health care coverage for as many
02:10 eligible people as possible that required processing contacting and tracking 3.8 million
02:18 residents across the state to maximize eligible enrollment and let me be clear for those of
02:24 us who believe in universal health care making sure that everybody has access to a doctor
02:30 this is hugely important work and what we're announcing and talking about today is really
02:36 an expansion toward the ultimate goal in my view which is universal coverage across the
02:42 nation it was clear that there would be millions of people who would become ineligible for
02:46 legitimate reasons like they had found a well-paying job or found other insurance coverage
02:54 that's a good outcome but millions of others for example those who are homeless or those
03:00 who have geographic or technology barriers or whose disabilities had prevented them from
03:06 previously applying for Medicaid coverage were in danger now of being thrown off their
03:11 newly found Medicaid coverage despite being eligible.
03:16 So how your state handles Medicaid redeterminations has a huge impact on whether your population
03:23 gets health care coverage retaining all those who are Medicaid eligible was our goal here
03:30 in Illinois today as we close out this process I am proud to announce that Illinois is among
03:37 the leading states in the country with a retention rate of 73% one of the highest in the entire
03:44 nation you all know that I'm a competitive person so I won't pass up the chance to point
03:50 out that we vastly outpaced states like Florida and Texas and New York and Utah and Colorado
03:58 and the list goes on and on of states that we outpaced and did a better job of getting
04:03 redeterminations positively redetermined.
04:08 Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans hundreds of thousands from those in rural areas living
04:13 in extreme poverty to those who are unhoused are able to keep their coverage because of
04:19 the tireless work of the people up here with me today and many many dedicated public servants
04:25 across the state and I would like to give a special note of appreciation to our frontline
04:31 caseworkers like Maria Mendez who's here today and you'll hear from shortly who are the unsung
04:38 champions of these outcomes.
04:41 From start to finish this was an all out all hands on deck effort we brought together officials
04:48 at the state and national level community health partners patient advocates civic groups
04:53 public health professionals and more to make this process as smooth as possible and keep
05:00 Illinois patients informed and protected.
05:04 We made every effort to automate renewals give customers more time and information and
05:10 to build the capacity necessary to manage the caseload and work to avoid letting people
05:16 slip through the cracks.
05:19 This came alongside a massive statewide advertising and outreach campaign across a range of media
05:26 in every corner of the state and in 15 different languages.
05:31 We added text messaging capabilities and telephone helpline improvements to make it as convenient
05:36 as possible for Illinoisans.
05:39 Thorough efficient and innovative are the words to describe the work of this team of
05:45 extraordinary public servants.
05:48 This is what good government looks like.
05:51 It took a village to get it done and there are so many people to thank Secretary Dulce
05:55 Quintero and the team at Department of Human Services.
05:59 Director Lizzy Whitehorn and the Department of Health Care and Family Services.
06:03 Our federal partners at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
06:09 Every community organization medical provider every legislative ally like Senator Selena
06:14 Villanueva who's joined us here on stage today and all the folks in between who pulled together
06:21 to make this Herculean effort possible.
06:24 This month marks the final cohort to go through the resumed public post public health emergency
06:32 redetermination process but our work is not finished.
06:36 We will continue our extensive outreach to help every eligible Illinoisan get the coverage
06:41 they deserve and keep the coverage they deserve.
06:44 In fact as part of that commitment we are seeking federal approval to make permanent
06:50 many of the capacity and efficiency boosting practices that we adopted during the last
06:55 year.
06:56 I am proud to stand alongside all of these folks today many of you in the audience today
07:01 and I look forward to doing so in the work ahead.
07:04 So thank you for your commitment to keeping Illinois strong and healthy and prosperous
07:10 and with that I am pleased to hand it over to a great leader in this work someone who
07:16 left my office the governor's office to go take over one of the most important agencies
07:22 of state government and that's the director of the department of health care and family
07:26 services Lizzy Whitehorn.
07:28 Lizzy.
07:29 Good morning.
07:30 Thank you Pastor Brooks at Lawndale Christian Health Center for hosting us.
07:40 Thank you governor for your leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic and the unwinding from
07:45 the public health emergency.
07:47 I'm so happy to be with all of you this morning to talk about everything we have been doing
07:51 in state government and with our partners to keep as many Illinois Medicaid customers
07:57 as possible covered as we unwind from the protections that were in place during the
08:02 pandemic.
08:03 I'm thrilled to celebrate all of the hard work and to highlight the successes we've
08:08 achieved together.
08:09 Those successes include the fact that to date as the governor mentioned 73% of Illinois
08:16 Medicaid enrollees have maintained their health care coverage.
08:20 That's more than 2.6 million people and Illinois is also leading the Midwest in customer retention
08:27 through the unwinding.
08:29 So how did we get here?
08:31 At the beginning of the pandemic the federal government implemented the continuous Medicaid
08:35 coverage requirement directing states to stop the regular practice of annual redeterminations
08:41 for Medicaid customers.
08:43 These are the eligibility checks we do to make sure enrollees still meet all the requirements
08:48 to continue receiving benefits.
08:50 The federal government did this to make sure people could access health care during an
08:55 unprecedented pandemic.
08:58 During the three years that the continuous coverage requirement was in place our Medicaid
09:02 enrollee population in Illinois grew by nearly 1 million people.
09:06 No Medicaid customers went through the redetermination process during those three years and those
09:12 who enrolled in Medicaid for the first time during the pandemic had never been through
09:16 a redetermination at all.
09:18 A little over a year ago the federal government announced that the continuous coverage requirement
09:24 would end effective March 31st 2023.
09:28 Just as COVID-19 presented a massive challenge so did protecting coverage for eligible customers
09:34 through the unwinding from policies that were put in place during the public health emergency.
09:41 Making sure that people understood the steps they needed to take to keep their coverage
09:45 like updating their address on file with the state and responding to their redetermination
09:50 by their due date required us to do extensive and ongoing outreach to make people aware
09:55 of the coming change.
09:57 The stakes of missing one of these steps are very high because it could mean the difference
10:02 between keeping Medicaid for the next year or losing health care coverage and we know
10:07 that lack of health care coverage can lead to other negative outcomes for low-income
10:12 people contributing to challenges like medical debt and homelessness.
10:17 Therefore we initiated our statewide ready to renew advertising and outreach campaign
10:23 which has been live on social media, radio, billboards and more to amplify the importance
10:28 of customers renewing their coverage.
10:31 We began messaging about redeterminations months ahead of implementation to prepare
10:36 our customers.
10:37 I'm extremely proud to say that consistently over the past year Illinois has remained among
10:43 the top 10 states with the highest customer retention rates.
10:47 I especially want to take a moment to recognize the HFS staff for their tireless efforts and
10:53 commitment to keeping eligible customers enrolled.
10:56 This has been a major undertaking and we didn't do it alone.
11:00 It was in partnership with the Department of Human Services, our Medicaid managed care
11:05 organization partners as well as health care providers, community organizations, advocates,
11:11 legislators and other stakeholders.
11:14 All of these partners have been instrumental in helping us spread the word to the diverse
11:18 Medicaid enrollee population across Illinois, engaging in layers of outreach to help people
11:24 prepare for their renewals and connect with difficult to reach populations.
11:29 During the pandemic the federal government also allowed states to use many flexibilities
11:34 in the enrollment process to make it easier for customers on the front end and states
11:39 on the back end.
11:40 Many of these flexibilities continued to be available during the unwinding and we in Illinois
11:45 took advantage of many of them.
11:48 In doing this we've learned a lot about how to make the process easier for our customers.
11:53 So as we return to the standard practice of annual redeterminations for all Medicaid customers
11:59 we're also making permanent some of the flexibilities we implemented over the past several years.
12:05 Late last week the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid services approved several of
12:10 our requests including to continue accepting customer attestation for income and insured
12:16 status where electronic verification is not available.
12:20 We will also keep the reasonable compatibility threshold at 30%.
12:25 This is a check that compares someone's self-reported income with information available from electronic
12:30 data sources to determine whether they meet the Medicaid income eligibility level.
12:37 Before the flexibility was implemented the threshold was 5%.
12:41 Federal CMS also just announced that flexibilities for some ex parte renewals have been extended
12:47 through June 2025.
12:49 Ex parte renewals are automated renewals that can be done in cases where there is enough
12:54 data available to verify a customer's eligibility and renew their coverage without paperwork.
13:00 This federal extension applies to zero income customers and will also make it easier for
13:05 aged blind and disabled customers to be approved via ex parte.
13:10 We have been seeking approval for ex parte review for zero income customers for years
13:15 and are proud that our advocacy has helped change policy at the national level.
13:20 These changes are intended to keep renewing coverage easier for customers on an ongoing
13:25 basis as we return to the traditional practice of annual Medicaid redeterminations.
13:31 There is no doubt in my mind that all of the hard work by our committed state workers and
13:36 all of our many partners within and outside of state government has contributed to so
13:41 many Illinoisans keeping their health care coverage over the past year.
13:45 And now I'll hand it over to a great partner and colleague, Secretary Dulce.
13:53 Hello, good morning.
14:01 Buenos dias.
14:02 It is so wonderful to be here.
14:05 I want to begin thanking the governor and his amazing team for all their support and
14:11 a special shout out to my predecessor and dear friend, Deputy Governor Grace Hope.
14:17 I also want to thank the director of Department of Health Care and Family Services, Lizzie
14:22 Whitehorn.
14:23 We appreciate the partnership and support your team has provided in working through
14:29 so many of the challenges we face during the unwinding.
14:35 At the nearby West Ogden Avenue Family and Community Resource Center and all of the other
14:41 centers around the state, human services caseworkers assist individuals and families with applications
14:49 for a wide variety of services, including benefits that support access to health care.
14:57 IDHS assists nearly 2,959,000 people in Illinois who receive medical benefits and about 23%
15:08 of people in Illinois.
15:11 I just can't, I will be remiss, but I want to give a special shout out.
15:15 We have some of my colleagues here from IDHS.
15:17 They are standing right here and I just really want to thank you for your service, who have
15:22 continued to help our customers to ensure coverage remains active.
15:28 IDHS has implemented text messaging, which includes reminders to update your addresses
15:35 and complete your redetermination.
15:38 IDHS also created a new option, IDHS Helpline, to expedite assistance for those looking to
15:46 complete their redetermination via telephone.
15:51 Additionally, the line can now identify whether the callers need to complete their redetermination
15:59 and ask them to complete it via telephone.
16:03 Since May of 2023, IDHS has taken 78,403 telephonic medical redetermination calls.
16:13 By making these improvements, we are doing our best to be proactive in reminding IDHS
16:19 customers about their redetermination.
16:22 And finally, I want to echo an insight from one of our IDHS caseworkers who process medical
16:30 redeterminations at our Ogden Family and Community Resource Center.
16:34 She tells me this work is fulfilling because by ensuring our customers have their medical
16:41 needs addressed, we bring stability to their lives.
16:46 Sometimes it's the exact temporary support they need in order to achieve their self-sufficiency.
16:53 All of us at IDHS celebrate this work because it empowers individuals and their families.
17:01 So with so much gratitude to our caseworkers, as well as our policy makers, thank you for
17:07 including me in acknowledging this milestone with you.
17:10 I'm so excited.
17:12 Such a celebration.
17:14 It is now a very tremendous honor that I want to introduce Maria Mendez, who is an IDHS
17:23 caseworker at our Ogden office.
17:25 Thank you, Maria, for joining us and sharing some wonderful words with us.
17:29 Thank you, everyone.
17:37 Good morning, everyone.
17:38 My name is Maria Mendez, and I'm proud to serve as a human services caseworker for the
17:44 Department of Human Services.
17:46 Each day, it's a privilege to support the wonderful people of Illinois by providing
17:50 essential services like SNAP cash and medical assistance.
17:55 Growing up, my family relied on Medicaid.
17:57 We were a family of six, and having this resource allowed us to go to the doctor's office and
18:03 receive medication that we wouldn't have been able to afford if we didn't have Medicaid.
18:08 I recall a time when my parents were concerned about how they were going to pay for speech
18:13 treatment for my youngest sister.
18:15 We were fortunate enough to have Medicaid, which allowed us to obtain my sister the assistance
18:21 she needed.
18:23 My parents were hardworking, but we just needed a little support, and we were fortunate to
18:27 have this resource available to us.
18:30 So one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job is to ensure that our clients maintain
18:35 uninterrupted access to healthcare through Medicaid.
18:39 By diligently processing medical redeterminations, my colleagues and I strive to prioritize well-being
18:46 of Illinois families.
18:48 It's heartening to know that our efforts contribute to healthier communities and brighter futures.
18:54 Thank you.
18:55 And now, welcome Ms. Audra Wilson.
18:58 Thank you, Maria.
19:05 My name is Audra Wilson.
19:06 I'm the president of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, and I'm also the chair of the
19:10 Illinois Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security for the state of Illinois.
19:14 So I'm going to repeat a lot of what's been said, but I think it bears repeating.
19:19 So Illinois has worked closely with partners in the community in the planning and implementation
19:23 of the public health unwinding Medicaid redetermination period, which has led to one of the most successful
19:28 unwinding periods in the nation, and that's the part that really does bear repeating.
19:33 The community outreach, messaging, and individual assistance campaign was key to keeping people
19:38 covered.
19:39 The Shriver Center was proud to work with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services
19:43 to ensure that as few eligible Medicaid recipients lost coverage as possible.
19:50 We worked with HFS in many ways throughout the 2023-2024 year, including drafting and
19:57 disseminating joint messages for consumers through our consumer information site, GetCareIllinois,
20:03 developing FAQs for consumers and providers on the PHE unwinding, training over 4,000
20:09 navigators and enrollment assisters throughout the state to assist individuals in redetermination,
20:15 and resolving hundreds of individual complex cases.
20:19 And we do remain committed to working with the state to keep people enrolled in Medicaid
20:23 and Marketplace coverage and to keep Illinoisans healthy.
20:27 And with that, I'm going to turn this back over to Governor Pritzker.
20:30 Thanks, Roger.
20:33 Happy to take any questions from members of the media.
20:37 Hi.
20:38 Hi.
20:39 I just had a question off topic about the memo last week from your Deputy Governor about
20:40 the budget.
20:41 He said that there was significant enough opposition to the proposed budget that you
20:42 don't think it's cut.
20:43 I'm wondering where you're seeing that opposition, like where is the most resistant coming from
20:44 the legislature?
20:58 I don't think it's some faction or another.
21:00 You know, there were just -- there was some talk in caucus meetings that were occurring
21:06 in the House or the Senate in which people had raised concerns or objections, some of
21:11 which is misinformation or they don't have the right information about what we're doing.
21:16 For example, there's some people who think that the increase in the sports betting percentage
21:23 tax is against sports bettors themselves.
21:28 That's not the case.
21:29 It's only on the sports betting companies, right, DraftKings, FanDuel, other companies
21:35 like that.
21:36 And similarly, on the other matter, which is somewhat complex, net operating loss carry
21:42 forwards, not everybody's familiar with those, but we actually have lowered the tax on net
21:48 operating cost -- net operating loss carry forwards from what it had been.
21:53 There had been a limitation of $100,000.
21:55 We raised that limitation to $500,000 so more companies could take deductions, essentially,
22:01 on their taxes.
22:02 So having said that, we -- you know, we realized that we may not be able to get to all of the
22:07 members or explain it properly to all of them and just wanted to make sure that they understood,
22:13 you know, that -- you know, our leaders of our agencies needed to understand that if
22:21 those new revenues don't come through, that we'll probably be hearing from the legislature
22:27 about cuts that they want to make.
22:29 And so we wanted to put everybody on notice.
22:32 That's the real purpose of that memo.
22:33 Yeah.
22:34 I just wanted to ask, you said within some caucuses, there was discussion of what caucus
22:40 would make the decision.
22:41 Yeah, I think -- I couldn't identify them for you.
22:44 I think, you know, more broadly, obviously, there are Republicans who object to some of
22:49 it, there are Democrats who've expressed some objection.
22:53 We're hoping that people come to a better understanding of it or they decide to, you
22:58 know, to make changes to the budget.
23:00 Remember, I introduced a budget in February.
23:02 This is the normal process, right?
23:04 It's a balanced budget.
23:05 Then it goes to the legislature.
23:07 It's really up to the legislature at that point to make decisions about whether they
23:11 like what was in that original budget, what they might want to change.
23:15 For the most part, the legislature has accepted my budgets, you know, 90, 95 percent of them
23:20 and made tweaks to them that they've seen fit or that we've negotiated over time.
23:27 And then at the end, you know, there's a vote on it.
23:29 So I'm -- you know, my one principle around this budget is it's got to be balanced.
23:36 So whatever happens here, we're not going to overspend, we're not going to, you know,
23:40 start sweeping dollars from accounts that had been done before.
23:44 I became governor.
23:45 We're not going to go back to the old practices of, you know, making us a credit unworthy
23:51 state.
23:52 And so we've got to balance the budget.
23:54 And that's the real message that I think everybody in the legislature knows that I'm sending.
23:59 Yeah.
24:01 Anybody else?
24:02 Great.
24:03 Thank you, everybody.
24:04 Oh, sorry.
24:05 >> Do you have anyone in Spanish to speak on why we're here today?
24:07 >> I'm happy to turn it over to Dulce if you want to -- anybody else?
24:11 Do you want to take this over?
24:12 >> I could try.
24:13 >> Okay.
24:15 (Spanish)
24:43 Great. Thank you, everyone.