The increase in coverage will be caused by a jump in people enrolling in Medicaid and buying policies through a newly created state insurance exchange. Most of the rise in state spending is the result of increased Medicaid costs, according to researchers. Key findings from the analysis of Illinois include the following:
• The percentage of Illinois residents with health insurance will increase from 85 percent to 97 percent by 2016.
• By 2016, approximately 11 percent of non-elderly Illinois residents will obtain their health coverage through an insurance exchange created as a part of health reform.
• Enrollment in Medicaid will increase by 49 percent, with an additional 770,000 Illinois residents enrolled by 2016.
• The additional costs to the state would be about $700 million annually by 2016 and $1.3 billion annually in 2020. The cumulative increase from 2011-2020 will be an estimated $6.2 billion.
• There will be no substantial change in the proportion of Illinois workers offered health insurance coverage through their employer by 2016.
Read other coverage about healthcare spending:
– 8 Out-of-the-Box Ways Hospitals Can Cut Costs
– Massachusetts Inspector General Says Out-of-Staters Take Advantage of “Free Care”
– Study: Government Underestimates Consumer Healthcare Spending by $363B
