Illinois Governor Blamed for Cook County Hospitals' Struggle

Cook County (Ill.) Board President Toni Preckwinkle pointed some blame for the Chicago-area Cook County Health & Hospitals System's financial struggles on Gov. Pat Quinn, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.

The county hospital system is currently $40 million short of its projected revenues for the year, but the state actually owes the system $38 million for Medicaid services that have not yet been reimbursed, according to the report.

Yesterday, Ms. Preckwinkle asked other board members to sign a letter to the Gov. Quinn asking for expedited payments.

The road to receiving payment, however, may be a long one. Illinois Medicaid has a payment backlog of nearly $450 million, for bills going back to early January, and the state budget currently includes a provision that would continue to delay payments in order to stave off more serious cuts to Medicaid reimbursement.  

Read the Sun-Times report on Cook County Health & Hospitals System.

Related Articles on Cook County Health & Hospitals System:

State Measure Would Help Close Illinois' Oak Forest Hospital
Illinois' Oak Forest Hospital Suspends Surgeries
Illinois Won't Allow Closure of Struggling Oak Forest Hospital But Approves Shut Down of East St. Louis Facility

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars

>